|
 "Midnight Rider" director Randall Miller agreed to a plea
deal in which he was sentenced to two years in county jail and
eight years of probation, as well as a $20,000 fine.
All charges against Jody Savin, Miller’s wife and business
partner, were dropped.
Executive producer Jay Sedrish also pleaded guilty to
involuntary manslaughter and trespassing, and was sentenced to
10 years' probation, said a spokeswoman for the Wayne County
court clerk.
Miller, Savin and Sedrish were indicted on involuntary
manslaughter and trespassing charges in the February 2014 death
of camera assistant Sarah Jones, 27, of Atlanta, during the
filming of the biopic.
The plea deal came as the three filmmakers were due to stand
trial this week on the criminal charges. Each faced up to 11
years in prison if convicted.
Jones was killed when a train hit props and movie equipment
staged on a railroad bridge and trestle.
Six other crew members were injured in the incident in rural
Wayne County about 70 miles southwest of Savannah.
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"There were no winners in court this morning," Richard and Elizabeth
Jones, the parents of Sarah Jones, said in a statement. "Our
daughter is gone and there is tremendous loss for all involved. ...
But, to be clear, we are not now, and never have been, seeking
revenge for Sarah's death."
Unclaimed Freight Productions Inc, the production company, did not
have permission to film on the tracks, authorities have said.
A fourth defendant in the case, first assistant director Hillary
Schwartz, is scheduled to be tried separately.
Allman was not named in the criminal case. He was dropped from a
civil lawsuit in which Jones' family is seeking unspecified
financial damages from the people and movie companies involved in
the film project.
(Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Barbara Goldberg; Editing by Peter
Cooney)
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