63-year-old sentenced for deadly November 2025 crash
John Collings ST. JOSEPH COUNTY, Ind. -- The St. Joseph County Prosecutor's Office announced Monday that a North Liberty man has been sentenced after entering a guilty plea on Jan. 29 for his part in a fatal crash on Nov. 12, 2025.
Court documents reveal 63-year-old John Collings pled guilty to Causing Death When Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated, a Level 4 Felony, and Causing Serious Bodily Injury When Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated, a Level 5 Felony.
The crash occurred on Mayflower Road at Bellville Drive in South Bend and left 58-year-old James L. Barnes of South Bend dead. The crash also severely injured 48-year-old Nashelle Barnes of South Bend and left their family dog dead.
Collings was given the maximum sentence for both charges.
Collings received 12 years for Causing Death When Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated and six years for Causing Serious Bodily Injury When Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated.
Collings sentences are to run consecutively to one another in the Indiana Department of Corrections, for a total of 18 years.
His driver’s license has also been suspended for 18 years.
