Drake Bell pleads guilty to attempted child endangerment
Drake Bell pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted endangering children and disseminating matter harmful to juveniles on Wednesday, June 23, 2021.
The former Nickelodeon star, 34, was arraigned earlier this month in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, after being indicted on May 21, 2021.
On June 3, 2021, he pleaded not guilty to both charges against him and was released from custody on a $2,500 bond.
Bell pled guilty via Zoom and will be sentenced on July 12, 2021. He could receive a prison sentence of up to 18 months for the felony charge, with a fine as high as $5,000. The misdemeanor charge carries a sentence of up to six months in county jail and a fine up to $1,000.
According to Cuyahoga County’s FOX 8 News, which first reported the news of Bell’s arrest, the actor “allegedly engaged in an inappropriate chat with the victim that, at times, was sexual in nature.”
Prosecutors claim that Bell “violated his duty of care and, in doing so, created a risk of harm to the victim.” Court records list the date of Bell’s alleged offense as Dec. 1, 2017.
