Sophia Michaels
Ezra Miller has pleaded not guilty to felony burglary charges after they were accused of stealing several bottles of alcohol from a neighboring home in Vermont while the owners were away. Alongside their lawyer, the 30-year-old actor appeared remotely from Burlington, Vermont, for their arraignment in Green Mountain State Superior Court’s criminal division on Monday. They will be set to appear in court again at a later date for future proceedings.
The conditions of Miller’s release dictate that they will refrain from returning to the residence in question or contacting the homeowner, a childhood friend whose connection to the actor spans 18 years, according to the Associated Press. Miller’s charges were brought about in August following a months-long investigation that included eyewitness statements and surveillance footage. At the time, a source told Rolling Stone that a police visit to Miller’s 96-acre farm in Vermont led to a lengthy conversation with their mother, Marta Miller, before a citation to appear in court was officially issued a few days later.
Charged with both burglary into an occupied home and petit larceny, which reflects that the stolen items were less than $900 in total value, Miller faces a maximum of 25 years in prison and a $1,000 maximum fine if convicted of the felony. The latter charge carries a maximum one-year sentence and a $1,000 fine.
The charges emerged amid a rapid-fire string of volatile incidents involving the actor. Miller was arrested twice this year in Hawaii, including for disorderly conduct and harassment at a karaoke bar. His farm also drew the attention of Vermont’s child services over concerns for the safety of a young mother and her three children, who were housed at the residence. Sources previously told Rolling Stone that there had been frequent and heavy marijuana use on the farm in front of children, with little concern about proper ventilation. Along with the drugs, sources claimed unattended guns were lying around the home.
And, in June, two temporary restraining orders were issued from the parents of 18-year-old Native American activist Tokata Iron Eyes and an unnamed 12-year-old child in Massachusetts. Both instances stemmed from alleged inappropriate behavior.
Miller’s alleged behavior prompted several meetings of Warner Bros. and DC executives to discuss the actor’s future with the studio and The Flash franchise. Miller apologized to them in person and promised to enter a treatment center.
“Having recently gone through a time of intense crisis, I now understand that I am suffering complex mental health issues and have begun ongoing treatment,” they shared in a statement. “I want to apologize to everyone that I have alarmed and upset with my past behavior. I am committed to doing the necessary work to get back to a healthy, safe and productive stage in my life.”
But the star’s downward spiral has also caught the attention of their Hollywood peers, as well, who view the collection of incidents as evidence of a larger problem. “I’m gonna be real, the stuff that’s happening with Ezra Miller is, to me, a microcosm of Hollywood,” Issa Rae recently told Elle. “There’s this person who’s a repeat offender, who’s been behaving atrociously, and as opposed to shutting them down and shutting the production down, there’s an effort to save the movie and them.”
