Timothy Patrick Collins

Introduction

Timothy Patrick Collins is a 67-year-old River Ridge, Louisiana, man who ran athletic programs for the Jefferson Parish Recreation Department and was arrested on two felony counts of possession of child sexual abuse material after the mother of a 14-year-old boy walked into the Kenner Police Department to report troubling text messages between Collins and her son. Kenner police said Collins was arrested Wednesday night, October 21, 2026, and announced the arrest the next day; a search of his cellphone turned up sexually explicit images of juveniles. Jefferson Parish moved to terminate him immediately and barred him from all parish facilities .

Background Information

Collins had spent roughly two decades in Jefferson Parish government across two stints — working for the parish from 1999 to 2012, then returning to serve as the recreation department’s athletic director since 2021, a post that put him over JPRD’s youth athletic programs. Kenner Police Chief Keith Conley said the concern reached beyond the parish: “Our concern is this individual was in a position of trust, not just in Jefferson Parish, but he served stints at schools throughout the New Orleans area as athletic director. So, we’re trying to get the word out” .

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Charged, not convicted. Collins faces possession charges that have not been tested in court; he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. Police describe admissions made in custody, but no trial has occurred and no conviction has been entered.

The investigation began on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, when the mother brought her son into the police station’s lobby to file a complaint about inappropriate texting between Collins and the boy. Detectives determined Collins had maintained contact with the juvenile for approximately a year after being introduced through other juveniles between the ages of 14 and 16; police said the two exchanged photographs, arranged meetings, and that Collins provided the teen with food and alcohol while portraying himself as a trusted adult — conduct investigators identified as grooming. The teen had no ties to the Jefferson Parish recreation program, according to Conley .

Working with the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation’s Internet Crimes Against Children task force, detectives obtained a search warrant for Collins’ phone and located him at the JPRD office in Marrero, seizing the device that afternoon. A review of the phone turned up sexually explicit images of minors — images Conley said appeared to be screenshots pulled from internet or dark-web sites and did not depict local children. Investigators then executed a search warrant at Collins’ River Ridge home and arrested him Wednesday night; Conley said Collins “did give a statement last night when he was taken into custody. There were some admissions. There were some other devices that were found. We’re going to keep going until we’ve exhausted all leads.” Several other devices remained under review, additional charges were described as possible, and police said they were working to identify any other potential victims .

Public Reaction and Consequences

Conley credited the mother whose complaint opened the case: “It just opened a pandora’s box. Those text messages between Tim Collins and this 14 year-old had been going on for almost 2 years. There had been other text messages that had risen to suspicion,” he said, and later commended “the mother whose vigilance brought this matter to our attention and our detectives for their swift response,” calling the case “particularly concerning given the suspect’s position of trust and access to young people.” Jefferson Parish issued a statement saying that given the seriousness of the charges it had “moved forward with termination proceedings,” that Collins was prohibited from all parish facilities, and that anyone who believes their child had inappropriate contact with him should call Kenner police .

The consequences landed within a day: the two felony counts, the firing, the facility ban, and a $200,000 bond set as of Thursday afternoon, when Collins remained in the Jefferson Parish jail .

Current Status

As of the Thursday, October 22, 2026 announcements, Collins had been booked with two counts of possession of child sexual abuse material, held in the Jefferson Parish jail with bond set at $200,000, and terminated from his parish post — with multiple seized devices still under forensic review, additional charges described as possible, and detectives asking other families to come forward. No court appearance date, plea, or attorney statement appeared in the fetched coverage .

Impact on Their Career/Life

Collins ends a roughly 21-year run in Jefferson Parish government with a firing announced the day after his arrest and a charge sheet that will follow him through whatever the device forensics add. The case’s arc — from one mother’s lobby complaint to a phone warrant, an ICAC-task-force search, admissions in custody, and a same-week termination — is the template Kenner police publicized deliberately, urging families throughout the New Orleans area to check whether their children had crossed paths with a man who, by Conley’s account, had built positions of trust in youth athletics across multiple communities. For JPRD, the parish’s statement pairing the firing with a facility ban and a tip line signals how a recreation department’s core asset — parental trust — becomes the first casualty of a case like this .

Sources

• NOLA.com / The Times-Picayune, “Jefferson Parish athletic director arrest for child porn,” October 2026 — source
• FOX 8 Local First, “Jefferson Parish athletic director jailed, accused of possessing child sexual abuse material, inappropriate communication with juvenile,” October 22, 2026 — source
• Audacy / WWL, “Jefferson Parish Recreation Dept. Athletic Director arrested in child porn case,” October 2026 — source