Owner of Hanover children’s party venue charged with child sex crimes

HANOVER COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — The owner of a children’s party venue in Hanover County is facing serious charges after being accused of sexually assaulting a child in his family.

Jerald-Dean Edward Miller owns “A Party Playhouse,” a business promoted as a premier party destination for kids of all ages. The venue, located in Mechanicsville, is now tied to alarming allegations against Miller. According to court documents, he’s charged with rape, object sexual penetration and sodomy of a female family member under the age of 13.

According to court records, the alleged abuse happened during the summer of 2024, but did not occur at the business. The child told investigators she was first abused by Miller in kindergarten. She reported that the abuse continued on multiple occasions during “movie nights” last summer.

Records show Miller was arrested on May 12.

Owner of Hanover children’s party venue charged with alleged rape, sexual assault of child

Sergeant Steven Wills with the Hanover County Sheriff’s Office, said during the months-long investigation, new details came to light.

“There was an initial investigation that led to additional accusations, and then from there, we went into a grand jury, and there was a direct indictment that was issued for the suspect,” Wills said.

Miller was released on June 10 on a $50,000 bond. He is not allowed to leave Virginia, must wear a GPS monitoring device and is prohibited from having contact with the child. Earlier this year, court records show Miller was convicted of assaulting another family member in a separate case.

Wills emphasized the charges Miller currently faces, are not connected to customers of his business.

“We have absolutely no information to suggest this has anything to do with the business or is connected to any additional victims in any way,” Wills said.

He also encouraged parents and guardians to monitor their children for changes in behavior.

“Maybe they don’t spend as much time with family or friends and just withdraw from, you know, some of those social circles," Wills said. "If they become very protective over devices and things of that nature, that could be a very big clue that maybe something is going on.”

Miller waived a trial by jury and is expected to appear in court on Nov. 6, for a two-day bench trial.