Photo: Jack Fordyce / Shutterstock
A warrant has been issued for his arrest.
By Alice Kelly — Written on May 26, 2021
Singer Mariyn Manson, whose real name is Brian Warner, has been the subject of multiple allegations made by women claiming to have suffered a variety of abuses at his hands, including battery, sexual assault and rape.
Now it's come to light that there is an active warrant for Manson's arrest in New Hampshire.
Why is there a warrant for Marilyn Manson’s arrest?
The Gilford Police Department issued a public statement on their Facebook page, announcing the news that Manson is wanted in connection with an incident that occured on August 18, 2019 at the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion in Gilford, NH.
The warrant includes charges on two counts of Class A misdemeanor Simple Assault involving a videographer who says Manson spit on him during a concert.
When was the arrest warrant for Marilyn Manson issued?
While this may be new information to the general public, police say Manson has known about the charges against him.
"Mr. Warner, his agent and legal counsel have been aware of the warrant for some time," the statement says, "and no effort has been made by him to return to New Hampshire to answer the pending charges."
In an email to the New York Times, police confirmed that the arrest warrant was issued on Oct. 8, 2019.
Gilford police chief Anthony J. Bean Burpee also states that while Manson and his legal team have been notified of the warrant several times, the singer has made no effort to return to the state to answer the charges.
The police department was careful to note, however, that these particular charges are not "sexual in nature," nor are they connected to accusations of abuse and various sex crimes made by several women, including many of Manson’s former partners, which gained widespread attention earlier this year.
What happened during the alleged incident between Manson and a videographer in 2019?
The singer is accused of assaulting a videographer who was contracted by the venue to record Manson's show as he filmed from the stage pit area.
As the videographer was filming, Manson leaned his face close to the camera and spit on the lens, his saliva reportedly making contact with the videographer.
A representative for the police department told TMZ Manson was charged "because the spitting constitutes 'unprivileged physical contact.'"
In response, Manson’s lawyers claim the videographer originally demanded financial compensation from his team but never provided evidence of the incident. The attorney also denied the Gilford police department’s claim that Manson refused to respond to the charges.
“This whole claim is ludicrous, but we remain committed to cooperating with authorities, as we have done throughout,” lawyer Howard King says.
These Class A misdemeanors in New Hampshire can carry a possible jail sentence of less than one year and a fine of $2,000 or less.
Manson has been accused of sexual assault by many women.
While the police department did stress that the charges are not sexual in nature, nor do they have any connection to other accusations against Manson, the recent allegations did push police to pursue Manson further.
The police said that “in light of recent allegations,” the department wants to “take care of business” with Manson in New Hampshire “so that he and we can move forward."
Manson is the subject of a growing list of sexual assault allegations made by ex-partners and others, including Evan Rachel Wood, Esme Bianco and Sarah McNeilly.
Bianco filed a lawsuit against the rocker in April 2021 alleging that he beat, drugged, and tortured her during their relationship.
Many of Manson’s other accusers, as well as some acquaintances, have expressed their solidarity with Bianco and supported her claims.
The singer vehemently denies the accusations and has labeled them “provably false.” Meanwhile, his label and agents dropped him in the aftermath of the accusations.
The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Los Angeles and no further course of action has been taken so far.
Alice Kelly is a writer living in Brooklyn, New York. Catch her covering all things social justice, news, and entertainment. Keep up with her Twitter for more.