Drake Bell is giving further details about the abuse allegations he faced before pleading guilty to sending inappropriate text messages to a minor in 2017: I 'was incredibly irresponsible.'
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en.wikipedia.org
Child endangerment conviction
In August 2020, his former girlfriend Melissa Lingafelt accused him of
verbal and
physical abuse during their three-year relationship in the late 2000s. Lingafelt also accused Bell of inappropriate behavior regarding underage girls.
[147] Bell has denied the allegations.
[148]
On June 4, 2021, Bell was arrested in
Cleveland, Ohio, on charges relating to "attempted endangering [of] children and disseminating matter harmful to juveniles."
[149] A public information officer with the
Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office, said "the 15-year-old victim, who had established a relationship with Bell several years prior, attended his concert in December 2017 [...] While there, Bell violated his
duty of care and, in doing so, created a risk of harm to the victim." The
Cleveland Police also found that Bell had sent the minor "inappropriate social media messages" for "months leading up to the concert". Bell was 31 at the time of the alleged incident. Bell pleaded not guilty, and was freed on a $2,500 personal bond, and was ordered to provide a
DNA sample.
[150] He agreed to have no contact with the accuser in the case with a pretrial hearing scheduled for June 23.
[151][152]
On June 23, Bell pleaded guilty to both charges.
[153] On July 12, 2021, Bell's accuser, then 19, made a public appearance and statement accusing him of sexually assaulting her while she was underage, in addition to the endangerment charges. Bell was sentenced to two years of
probation and 200 hours of community service, which he was permitted to complete in California. He also is not allowed to have any contact with his victim.
[154][155][156]
Bell claimed in a video that he ceased texting his accuser when her age came to light, and that no images of a sexual matter were exchanged. He also stated that he accepted a plea deal because "I felt that this was the best way to get this over quickly, and for everyone involved to be able to move on."
[157][158]
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