“Drake and Josh” star Drake Bell was arrested on Thursday in Ohio for crimes he allegedly committed against a 15-year-old girl in 2017.
The actor, whose real name is Jared Bell, 34, was charged in Cuyahoga County with attempted endangering children and disseminating matter harmful to juveniles. WJW reported that the criminal charges stem from an alleged chat he had with a child that was sexual in nature.
The reported incident occurred on December 1, 2017, the same day Bell was scheduled to perform at The Odeon Concert Club. According to Radar, the victim was 15 at the time of the illicit encounter involving the Nickelodeon actor.
“In October 2018, the female juvenile victim, 15, filed a report with her local police department in Canada regarding an incident that occurred between her and Jared Bell, 34, the previous year at a Cleveland nightclub on Old River Road in the city’s East Bank of The Flats district,” a rep for the Cuyahoga County District Attorney’s Office explained in a statement issued to the news outlet.
“The investigation also revealed that months leading up to the concert, Bell sent the victim inappropriate social media messages.”
TMZ reported that Bell was indicted last month and is due back in court on June 23. He pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.
Bell is currently free on a $2,500 bond and is barred from contacting the victim.
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[Featured image: Drake Bell/Cuyahoga County jail]
