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Man accused of swindling hurricane victims bonds out of Monroe jail, faces theft charge in Crawford

55-year-old Jimmy Collins Jr., a former pastor, is accused of stealing money from hurricane victims in Louisiana.

MONROE COUNTY, Ga. — Former Central Georgia pastor Jimmy Collins Jr., who is accused of stealing money from hurricane victims in Louisiana, bonded out of the Monroe County jail on Thursday.

Collins, 55, is now headed to Crawford County, where he faces theft by deception charge, according to the sheriff's department. 

In August, Collins was arrested and charged with six felony counts of fraud and swindling in Allen Parish, Louisiana. 

They say he bilked victims of Hurricane Laura, a category 4 storm that hit Louisiana in August of 2020. Allen Parish, about an hour and a half away from Laura's landfall, was one of the hardest-hit areas.

Collins and his company, Choice Roofing, allegedly left some people in Central Georgia without repairs after taking their money. 

Monroe County Sheriff Brad Freeman told 13WMAZ in August that Collins had a pair of warrants in Crawford County and one in Monroe.  

“He would receive money, maybe just do part of the work and then basically disappear,” Freeman said 

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'He would receive money... do part of a job, and then disappear': Macon pastor faces fraud charges in Louisiana

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