‘Midnight Rider’ executive pleads not guilty to criminal charges

Jay Sedrish, an executive producer and unit production manager on the controversial movie “Midnight Rider,” has pleaded not guilty to charges of involuntary manslaughter and criminal trespass in the death of a 27-year-old camera assistant.

Sedrish on Monday entered a not guilty plea in a written statement, according to the Wayne County Clerk of Court in Jesup, Ga.

A Georgia grand jury on July 2 indicted filmmakers Randall Miller and his wife Jody Savin as well as Sedrish on charges of involuntary manslaughter and criminal trespass. Miller and Savin also have pleaded not guilty.

Involuntary manslaughter carries a potential prison sentence of 10 years, according to Georgia law. Criminal trespass is a misdemeanor and carries a year’s jail sentence.

Sarah Jones, a second camera assistant, was killed in February after a freight train collided into the crew during the first day of production of “Midnight Rider,” a biopic about rocker Gregg Allman.

Six others were injured in the accident, which occurred on a historic railway trestle near Jesup, Ga.

Last week, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited the Pasadena company Film Allman LLC for “one willful and one serious safety violation” for exposing employees to hazards, with proposed penalties totaling $74,900.

OSHA said the production company failed to provide safety measures to protect the employees from trains and exposed workers to “fall hazards.”

The death of Jones galvanized film crew members throughout the entertainment industry, highlighting long-standing concerns about worker safety.

Twitter: @rverrier