An attorney has entered a not guilty plea on behalf of rocker Marilyn Manson, who is accused of approaching a videographer at his 2019 concert in New Hampshire and allegedly spitting and blowing snot on her.
Manson, whose legal name is Brian Hugh Warner, surrendered in July to police in Los Angeles in connection with a 2019 arrest warrant in the case. The allegations were detailed in a police affidavit that was released along with a criminal complaint.
Manson was charged with two misdemeanor counts of simple assault stemming from the alleged altercation on Aug. 19, 2019, at the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion in Gilford. The misdemeanor charges can each result in a jail sentence of less than a year and a $2,000 fine if convicted.
An arraignment hearing on the charges was scheduled for Thursday, but an attorney for Manson filed the not guilty plea and a wavier of arraignment in Laconia District Court. A case status hearing has been scheduled for Dec. 27.
Susan Fountain, a videographer, was in the venue’s stage pit area at the time of the alleged assault. Her company, Metronome Media, was contracted by the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion for the concert season.
According to the affidavit, Manson approached Fountain the first time, put his face close to the camera and spit a “big lougee” at her. She was struck on both hands with saliva.
Manson allegedly returned a second time, covering one side of his nostril and blowing in Fountain’s direction. Fountain put down her camera and went to the restroom to wash her hands and arms that had Manson’s bodily fluids on them.
Manson also has faced abuse accusations — unrelated to the New Hampshire allegation — in recent years. He has denied wrongdoing.
In February, actor Evan Rachel Wood publicly accused Manson, her ex-fiance, of sexual and other physical abuse, alleging she was “manipulated into submission” during their relationship. Months later, “Game of Thrones” actor Esmé Bianco sued Manson in federal court in Los Angeles, alleging sexual, physical and emotional abuse.
The Associated Press generally does not identify people who say they have been sexually assaulted, but Bianco and Wood have spoken publicly.
In 2018, Los Angeles County prosecutors declined to file charges against Manson over allegations of assault, battery and sexual assault dating to 2011, saying they were limited by statutes of limitations and a lack of corroboration. The accuser in that case was identified only as a social acquaintance of Manson.
