West Haven — The former chair of the city's Police Commission, Raymond Collins III, acknowledged Friday that he inappropriately confronted the suspect accused of trying to drown his children in June.

Collins confirmed Friday that he'd tendered his resignation to Mayor Dorinda Borer, effective Aug. 1. City Clerk John Lewis said he had not received a copy of the letter as of Friday morning.

Collins said his decision to resign was unrelated to him entering the Police Department's lockup to confront Romney Desronvil, who allegedly attempted to drown two toddlers in the water of West Haven's beach in the early morning of June 22.

"That was inappropriate, but my emotions got a hold of me," he said, adding that he has five grandchildren, two of whom are within months of the two children involved in the June 22 incident. "I told him to rot in hell. I wasn't threatening, I wasn't controversial. I barely looked in his eyes. As a grandfather of five, two the same age [as the victims] and one who I'd just left having breakfast with, I said, 'I hope you rot in eternal hell,' and I walked out."

Collins said it was the only time he'd entered lockup to address a suspect of a crime.

"Would Commissioner Collins do it again? No," he said. "My grandkids call me Cappy, and would Cappy do it again? Maybe."

Collins, who is running for a state representative seat once held by his father, said his decision to resign was connected to a feeling that he had enough things on his plate between his campaign and his full-time job, and had been serving on the commission under an expired term. According to minutes from a July 2 Board of Police Commissioners meeting, Collins thanked the commission for "the proudest 14 years of his life" upon announcing his resignation from the commission. Collins said his resignation had been "in the works" for a while, but only came about in the last few weeks.

Desronvil was being held in the city's lockup in lieu of bond until he could appear before a judge on June 24 after being charged with two counts of attempted murder and two counts of risk of injury.

Sgt. Patrick Buturla, public information officer for the Police Department, said, "The West Haven Police Department was aware of the incident that took place on June 22, 2024 where Commissioner Collins spoke with an arrestee in our custody. We immediately addressed this incident internally and we have no further comment on this matter."

Desronvil is accused of trying to drown his twin toddlers, whom city officers were able to save after they encountered the scene at a West Haven beach in the early morning hours of June 22, police said. The twins survived and the officers were recently feted by local officials for saving their lives.

Collins was at the celebration of the officers but did not speak, according to the minutes of the police commission meeting.