Former Nickelodeon and Disney Star Jared Drake Bell Charged With Sending Sexual Messages To Underage Fan
Spencer Baculi
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Actor Drake Bell, full name Jared Drake Bell, best known for his roles as Drake in Nickelodeon’s Drake & Josh and Spider-Man in Disney’s Ultimate Spider-Man, has been criminally charged following an investigation into his alleged sending of sexual messages to an underage fan.
Source: Merry Christmas, Drake & Josh (2008), Nickelodeon Productions
As first reported by Fox 8, Bell was arrested and charged in relation to a supposed December 2017 incident in which he “allegedly engaged in an inappropriate chat with [an underage girl] that, at times, was sexual in nature.”
According to police reports obtained by the local Ohio Fox affiliate, authorities were first made aware of Bell’s supposed misconduct in 2018 when his alleged victim, a 15-year-old Canadian fan, reported an “incident involving Bell that occurred the previous year in Cleveland” to her local Canadian police department.
Canadian authorities in turn relayed the information to police in Cleveland, who quickly launched an investigation into the young fan’s accusations.
Source: Superhero Movie (2008), Dimension Films
Subsequently, they discovered that the victim had “established a relationship with Bell several years prior”, received a number of ‘inappropriate’ social media messages from the actor in the months prior to the incident, and “attended [Bell’s] Cleveland concert in [December] 2017.”
As claimed by the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office, it was at this concert that the actor ”Bell violated his duty of care and, in doing so, created a risk of harm to the victim.
Source: Disney’s Ultimate Spider-Man (2011), Disney
Officially, Bell has been charged with “attempted endangering children, a 4th degree felony, and disseminating matter harmful to juveniles, a 1st degree misdemeanor.”
Though the actor pled ‘Not Guilty’ to the charges during his first appearance before the Cuyahoga County court, Fox 8 reports that “Bell is expected to enter a plea of no contest or guilty to the bill of information” at his upcoming June 23rd pre-trial hearing.
Source: Kingdom Hearts III (2019), Square Enix.
In addition to his roles as Drake and Spider-Man, Bell has also provided the voice of Young Eraqus in Kingdom Hearts III.
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