Rockville —
The former Mecca fire chief received a seven-year prison sentence Friday after pleading guilty to felony charges of causing death and serious bodily injury while driving drunk in June 2011.
Michael R. Collom, 39, was ordered to serve five years in the Indiana Department of Correction, followed by two years in the community corrections program. Parke Circuit Court Judge Samuel Swaim issued the sentence after a morning of statements and testimony related to the June 28 incident.
Collom, who resigned as Mecca Fire Chief following the crash, was charged in the death of Stacey Williamson, 43, and the injury of his wife, Mary Williamson. Collom was arrested following the early-morning crash that resulted in his 2006 Ford Mustang striking an embankment, going airborne and then crashing through the Williamson home. The point of impact was the couple’s bedroom, where both were in bed sleeping. The car came to rest in the home’s kitchen.
Stacey Williamson died at the scene. Mary Williamson was hospitalized with severe injuries. She attended Friday’s sentencing hearing, but did not speak publicly.
“I will spend the rest of my life trying to make this right,” Collom said, turning to the audience to speak his regrets to the Williamson family.
He disputed the assertion of Parke County Prosecutor Steve Cvengros and Deputy Prosecutor Kevin Stalker that he was “showing off” when he sped his Mustang along the road into town and ramped over a former railroad bed to become airborne and lose control of the car.
“There wasn’t a soul around,” Collom said. “There was no one to show off for.”
Collom said he could not explain why he was driving 71 miles per hour at the time of the crash.
An accident reconstructionist determined that after Collom left the Mecca Tavern around 4 a.m. and drove his car eastbound out of town to a bridge, Collom turned around and then sped back toward the town past the tavern and ramping over a raised portion of the road.
The Williamson home was in sight of the tavern, and was not far from Collom’s own home.
Collom said he was not angry or upset when he left the tavern where he had met his cousins to socialize after a long day at work.
“To this day, I can’t say what possessed me,” Collom stated. He said he had worked too many hours and stayed up too long. He also admitted to drinking alcohol with his cousins.
“I drank too much. I was driving too fast. There’s no one else to blame,” Collom said.
Defense attorney Michael Stites called several witnesses to testify about Collom’s character. Lori Collom stated that her husband has been remorseful since the incident.
“He’s never been one to hurt someone,” she said. “He always wanted to help people.”
Cvengros asked Judge Swaim to sentence Collom to eight years in prison, the maximum for a class-C felony. Defense attorney Stites said Collom had no objection to the eight years, but asked that the time be served on house arrest or in a work-release program so he could continue to financially support his family.
In pronouncing the sentence, Judge Swaim said he was considering that Collom had been arrested 20 years ago on three alcohol-related offenses.
“That should have put him on notice that he has a problem with alcohol and makes bad decisions when using it,” Swaim said.
Swaim also sentenced Collom to a concurrent term of two years in prison on a second felony charge.
A plea agreement entered in March dropped four of the six felony charges filed against Collom, and left the sentencing up to Swaim. Collom pleaded guilty to causing death when driving with an alcohol content of 0.08 percent or more, a class-C felony, and causing serious bodily injury when driving with an alcohol content of 0.08 percent or more, a class-D felony. A class-C felony carries a potential sentence of two to eight years in prison while a class-D felony has a sentencing range of six months to three years in prison.
The plea dropped charges of reckless homicide, criminal recklessness with serious bodily injury, causing death when driving while intoxicated, and causing serious bodily injury while intoxicated.
Lisa Trigg can be reached at (812) 231-4254 or lisa.trigg@tribstar.com.
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