PORTSMOUTH — A Portsmouth bar where a man was beaten earlier this month, hours before his death, now faces a felony charge for allegedly allowing patrons to drink alcohol on the dance floor.

PORTSMOUTH — A Portsmouth bar, where a man who later died was beaten earlier this month, faces a felony charge for allegedly allowing patrons to drink alcohol on the dance floor.



The Page Restaurant & Bar faces a fine of up to $100,000 if convicted of the charge, which was announced Tuesday by Portsmouth police and the Rockingham County Attorney's office.



Joshua Krantz, a 24-year-old Epping native and Dover resident, was struck in the back of the head and repeatedly punched while he was on the dance floor on the lower level of The Page on the morning of Saturday, April 6. Krantz died after returning home to his apartment in Dover.



The state's medical examiner ruled that bleeding on the brain was the cause of his death, but no determination has been made regarding whether the incident was a homicide.



Zachary O'Neill, 24, of 12 New York St., Dover, has been charged with first-degree assault for allegedly beating Krantz.



According to court documents, O'Neill told workers at The Page he assaulted Krantz because Krantz spilled a drink on him several hours earlier.



“Under New Hampshire state law, there's certain laws that guide how a bar operates their premises,” Portsmouth Police Chief Stephen DuBois explained Tuesday, “so, in those laws, there's specific guidance as to where alcohol can be consumed in the bar and where it cannot, and in this particular case, while we were doing an investigation into the death of Mr. Krantz, we came upon evidence that would suggest that there was alcohol being consumed on the dance floor, which was not an approved area.”



If the establishment had been following state laws, DuBois said, the circumstances wouldn't have allowed for a drink to be spilled on the dance floor, a factor that may have precipitated the assault.



DuBois said Portsmouth police have also documented a history of incidents involving The Page, which has received summonses in the past for issues relating to service of alcohol in non-approved areas.



"There had been a history kind of building up to this," he said.



The felony-level charge announced Tuesday names the business entity that owns the establishment. DuBois said the charge could "certainly be a mitigating factor" in whether or not The Page retains its liquor license, which is up for renewal at the end of May.



The business entity is scheduled to be arraigned June 3 in circuit court in Portsmouth. Rockingham County Attorney Jim Reams will ultimately seek to indict the business in superior court.



O'Neill's case on the assault charge has been bound over to Rockingham Superior Court, where a grand jury will consider whether there is sufficient evidence to warrant a trial. The state's medical examiner is awaiting toxicology reports before making a determination about whether the incident is considered a homicide, DuBois said Tuesday.