Details About Why 'Drake & Josh' Star Drake Bell Was Arrested For Crimes Against Children
The details of his arrest.
Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock Drake Bell has been arrested in Ohio amid allegations of crimes against children.
Bell, who starred in the hit Nickelodeon television show “Drake & Josh” from 2004 to 2007, is pleading not guilty following his arrest in Cuyahoga County.
The actor faces one count of attempted endangerment of a child and one count of disseminating matter harmful to juveniles.
Court records show Bell was taken into custody on Thursday in relation to a December 2017 incident in Cleveland, Ohio.
Why was Drake Bell arrested?
The charges of attempted child endangerment and disseminating matter harmful to juveniles are linked to a 2017 incident in which Bell allegedly engaged in an inappropriate chat with a minor.
The conversation was, at times, sexual in nature. However, no further details have been provided about the interaction or the alleged victim.
Bell, whose real name is Jared Drake Bell, was 31-years-old at the time of the incident.
The alleged conversation is believed to have taken place on December 1, 2017. In October of that year, Bell had tweeted to say that he would be playing a show at Cleveland’s The Odeon Concert Club on December 1.
Bell has been ordered to have no contact with the alleged victim and will appear in court on June 23 to face the charges.
The actor has lived a relatively quiet life since his stint on Nickelodeon, but this is not the first time he has found himself accused of taking advantage of minors.
Drake Bell’s ex-girlfriend accused him of abuse in 2020
Last year, Bell’s ex-girlfriend Melissa Lingafelt, who also goes by Jimi Ono, accused the actor of physical and emotional abuse in a viral TikTok.
The pair dated for 2 years beginning in 2006. Lingafelt was 16 when the relationship began while Bell was 20.
"This is my truth. I hope this message reaches young girls, and that no one has to go through what I did," she captioned the video after recounting upsetting details about the relationship.
Other anonymous users also accused Bell of statutory rape, alleging the actor had pursued them while in a relationship with Lingafelt.
Bell vehemently denied Lingafelt’s claims and accused the actress of making the video as, “some kind of misguided quest for more money or attention."
"As our relationship ended — more than a decade ago — we, unfortunately, both called each other terrible names, as often happens when couples are breaking up. But that is it," he said at the time.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic abuse, there are ways to get help. Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org.
Alice Kelly is a writer living in Brooklyn, New York. Catch her covering all things social justice, news, and entertainment. Keep up with her Twitter for more.