Miller’s trial for racist incident in Virginia City has been rescheduled for May 2025

The Millers, a family involved in a racist incident at a Hot August Nights event in Virginia City, will not attend their preliminary conference originally scheduled for Thursday. Instead, their next court dates are scheduled for May 2025, the Virginia City Justice Court said.

Gary, Janis and Tiffany Miller were arrested on August 7 following accusations from Ricky Johnson, who said they made racist comments and assaulted him on August 2 while he was collecting signatures for a petition at the event. The Millers were initially scheduled to appear in court on November 14.

Gary Miller is charged with breach of the peace and an unlawful act because of actual or perceived race. Janis Miller is charged with battery and their daughter Tiffany is charged with delaying a peace officer. All charges are felonies.

Recounting the incident, Johnson said: “The first thing this guy said was, ‘Get the f*** out of my face with the N-word.’ I said, ‘What the hell did you say?’ He replied to me, ‘I have a hanging tree in my backyard for n****** like (you).’”

Johnson recorded a video of the encounter, which has been viewed more than 1 million times on TikTok. In the video, Johnson asks Gary Miller to repeat his statement about the hanging tree, to which Miller responds that it is in Johnson’s backyard. The video shows Janis Miller touching Johnson’s arm and trying to lead him away, which Johnson described as an attack.

“I want them charged. That’s the justice I want – they’re being charged. And I want it to be clear that this will not be accepted in Virginia City, Nevada. It will not be accepted here. It will not be accepted anywhere. Johnson said.

Hot August Nights permanently banned the Millers from the annual event and condemned their behavior. The incident also drew condemnation from Nevada’s top leaders, including Governor Joe Lombardo and Attorney General Aaron Ford.