The Gilford, N.H. police chief who wants to arrest Marilyn Manson said the shock rocker spat on a woman videographer at a 2019 concert and that he publicized the charges because of allegations other women have made against Manson.
Manson is wanted on two counts of misdemeanor simple assault, Chief Anthony J. Bean Burpee said.
In a series of e-mails with the Globe, Bean Burpee said the charges are based on state law that considers “unprivileged physical contact to another” as a simple assault punishable by a maximum of a $2,000 fine or less than a year in jail.
Manson, whose legal name is Brian Warner, was charged under that law after the videographer reported what happened to her while she was working at the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion on Aug. 18, 2019. The arrest warrants for Manson were issued in October 2019, the chief said.
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“The victim did not agree in the course of her employment to allow anyone to have unprivileged contact with her; the job was to video the show,” Bean Burpee wrote. “Is anyone being spit on acceptable if they haven’t previously agreed to such behavior?”
Manson’s attorney, Howard King, said that a “small amount of spit came into contact with their arm” during the concert, and claimed the videographer only turned to police after the performer refused to pay $35,000 in damages without offering proof of what happened.
Bean Burpee confirmed the criminal charge is based on the woman being struck by Manson’s spit.
The police chief noted that several women have claimed in lawsuits and in social media postings that Manson sexually abused or physically assaulted them during their interactions with him over the years. Manson, and his lawyers, have denied the allegations.
“For someone who has been adamantly denying all allegations, he [Manson] has been lax in addressing them through the proper criminal justice system we have in this country,” Bean Burpee wrote. “In light of more recent allegations being made against him, we thought it timely to remind him that he still has a matter in NH to address.”
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Bean Burpee said his department has repeatedly tried to get Manson and his legal team to respond to the pending criminal case since the arrest warrant was issued by a bail magistrate in October 2019. The department has not been successful.
That, he said, is one of the reasons he posted about the outstanding charge Tuesday on the department’s Facebook page, triggering national coverage of the incident.
“The victim has been waiting to put this matter in the past, which can’t occur until Mr. Warner answers to the allegations as in all criminal cases,’' Bean Burpee wrote. “We would like to close the warrant by making an arrest so that Mr. Warner can be given a court date and the victim allowed to tell her account to a judge.”
Bean Burpee said the videographer has no connection to anyone on his department. “She is one of many of Mr. Warner’s alleged victims as it would appear many others have come forward regarding his behavior, too,’' he wrote.
In his statement to the Globe on Tuesday, Manson’s attorney said his client is well-known for his “provocative” concert performances.
“It is no secret to anyone who has attended a Marilyn Manson concert that he likes to be provocative on stage, especially in front of a camera,” King wrote in an e-mail Tuesday night. “This misdemeanor claim was pursued after we received a demand from a venue videographer for more than $35,000 after a small amount of spit came into contact with their arm. After we asked for evidence of any alleged damages, we never received a reply.
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“This whole claim is ludicrous, but we remain committed to cooperating with authorities, as we have done throughout,” King added.
The Globe is seeking King’s response to the comments by the police chief.
John R. Ellement can be reached at john.ellement@globe.com. Follow him @JREbosglobe.