A level 2 sex offender was arrested Tuesday morning on a felony failure to comply charge after Hot Springs police discovered he was using undisclosed social media platforms and possibly posing as a 15-year-old girl.
Charles John "Chuck" Collin, 48, who lists a Central Avenue address, was taken into custody around 10 a.m. at the police department and charged with failure to comply with sex offender registration and reporting requirements, punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Collin was being held on $3,500 bond and appeared Wednesday via video in Garland County District Court and pleaded not guilty to the charge. Special Judge Tyler Tapp reduced his bond to $1,500 and a felony review hearing is set for Nov. 19. As a condition of his bond, Collin cannot have access to social media or the internet.
According to the probable cause affidavit, on March 29, Collin came to the police department to verify all the necessary information to be in compliance with the reporting requirements and signed paperwork acknowledging he understood the registration requirements.
On Tuesday, Collin returned to the police department to verify his information and while Detective Hunter Scott was speaking to him about his use of social media accounts, Collin reportedly stated he had an email address and three social media accounts he had not disclosed.
He allegedly admitted to using the platforms, "Hangouts," "KIK," and "WhatsApp," and claimed he had not disclosed them previously because the detectives had not listed them before.
When asked for his "KIK" username, Collin reportedly first stated he didn't know, and then said he went by "Chuck Collin." When asked again, he allegedly admitted he sometimes used the name of a 15-year-old female family member.
At that point, Collin was detained and formally questioned after being read his Miranda rights. When asked why he would use a 15-year-old's information to chat with other people, he reportedly "changed his story" and said he only used the 15-year-old's name for his password and not his username. He denied having any other social media accounts.
When asked how long he had the other undisclosed email account, he initially stated he had it before he was arrested in 2016 and then "quickly stated he created it two months ago." He was taken into custody after the interview.
Local on 09/27/2018