Marilyn Manson wanted for spitting on videographer during 2019 Gilford show

GILFORD — He may be a rock star, and the charges might be misdemeanors, but police made it clear on Tuesday that they intend to hold the performer known as Marilyn Manson to account for charges related to a concert here two years ago.

“The Gilford Police Department has an active arrest warrant for Brian Hugh Warner (aka: Marilyn Manson) for two counts of Class A misdemeanor Simple Assault stemming from a 2019 incident at the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion. The alleged assaults involved a videographer. Mr. Warner, his agent and legal counsel have been aware of the warrant for some time and no effort has been made by him to return to New Hampshire to answer the pending charges,” read a post the Gilford Police Department made on Facebook on Tuesday.

The charges stem from an Aug. 18, 2019, concert. Many people who commented on the Facebook post reported attending the concert and witnessing Warner spitting upon a photographer, who appeared to be upset by the act. Warner was reported to respond by spitting again on the videographer, from a closer range.

Anthony Bean Burpee, chief of police in Gilford, confirmed that the assault complaints resulted from Warner spitting on a videographer. Police are not releasing the details of the warrant, and are not identifying the alleged victim at this time.

“This is a videographer that was hired by an outside agency,” Bean Burpee explained. “The videographer did not pay money to go to a show and get spit on… He or she did not sign a contract that said, ‘I will get assaulted by Marilyn Manson or anyone else.’”

An attorney for Warner had contacted Gilford Police on Wednesday morning, Bean Burpee said, but he still hadn’t heard of any indication that Warner would answer the charges.

“The victim is just trying to get their day in court, and it’s been more than a year,” Bean Burpee said.

Each of the misdemeanor charges could carry a penalty of up to a year in jail, and a fine of $2,000. An attorney representing Warner did not directly respond to an inquiry from the Laconia Daily Sun; however, Howard King, of King, Holmes, Paterno and Soriano LLP, a practice based in Los Angeles, issued the following statement which was published by WMUR:

"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. 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… This whole claim is ludicrous, but we remain committed to cooperating with authorities, as we have done throughout."

Representatives for Bank of NH Pavilion, and for LiveNation, which operates the Lakes Region’s largest concert venue, did not respond to requests for comment.