Randall Miller to Go Before Judge on Alleged Probation Violation
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Randall Miller is expected to appear before a judge to answer whether he violated his probation by directing a film in Serbia last year.
Miller pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in connection with the 2014 death of camera assistant Sarah Jones on the set of “Midnight Rider.” Jones was killed and six others were injured in a collision with a train while shooting a scene on a bridge near Jesup, Ga.
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Miller served a year in jail. Under the terms of his probation, he was ordered not to work as a “director, first assistant director or supervisor with responsibility for safety in any film production” for a period of 10 years.
Miller is currently in post-production on “Higher Grounds,” a film about a barista competition that he shot primarily in Serbia last year. He and his attorney, Ed Garland, said that he was allowed to do so because he designated someone else — first assistant director Jason Allen — as being in charge of safety.
Richard Jones, the father of Sarah Jones, told Variety that he alerted the prosecutor’s office about the film in early March, but did not hear back. Last week, word of the project began to circulate in the Georgia film community.
“Various people started calling the district attorney’s office,” Jones said. “That’s what got it going, I guess.”
The Brunswick Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s office and the Georgia Department of Community Supervision concluded last week that the film does amount to a probation violation.
The DCS has the power to issue an arrest warrant. But on Wednesday, a spokesman said the judge in the case is working to set a date for Miller to appear in the courtroom in Georgia, which would eliminate the need for an arrest.
If the judge concludes that Miller violated his probation, he could face a range of consequences, including sanctions or further restrictions to his probation terms.
The news of Miller’s new project sparked outrage among below-the-line workers in Georgia.
“We’re livid,” Bruce Williamson, a board member of IATSE Local 491, said last week. “This should not have happened.”
Richard Jones has also asked the Directors Guild of America to expel Miller, but said he has not gotten a response. The DGA has not responded to requests for comment.
This story has been updated with comment from Richard Jones.
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