By Doug Miller
Collins pleaded not guilty to the charges, which are B felonies and carry sentences of anywhere from 1 to 3 years in prison all the way up to 8 and one-third to 25 years in prison. His lawyer, Marvin Hirsch of Mineola, said he believed the charges to be false.
"Mr. Collins has no prior arrests and no criminal record," Hirsch said. "He has a good personal history and a good work history and we are hopeful that he will be vindicated."
City Manager Edwin Eaton said Collins would be treated as an innocent man until proven otherwise and that he would remain a city employee. "He hasn't been with the city long enough that could take some kind of leave, so we're keeping him working but on modified duty," Eaton said. "He's not leaving the building, which is fair given the alleged trouble he is in."
A Garden City Police Department spokesman, Lt. Michael Doyle, said there was an ongoing investigation and would not comment on the case.
Eaton said he felt Collins was a good employee and was troubled by news of the arrest, "But I met with the corporation counsel and his union rep and he has agreed to this modified duty."
Collins was hired in November 2003 but let go the following March by then-City Manager Glen Spiritis as part of a round of layoffs attributed to the city's financial crisis. Several of the workers who were dismissed at the time sued the city and, as part of a settlement, won their jobs back, including a fellow building inspector. When the other inspector was hired back in September 2005 by City Manager Charles Theofan, Collins was rehired as well, even though he had not been involved in the litigation.
He is next scheduled to appear in court Nov. 14 before Judge Frank A. Gulotta Jr.
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