Jared Drake Bell, known for his role on the Nickelodeon series Drake & Josh, has been arrested and charged with crimes against children.
According to TMZ, Bell, 34, was arrested in Cleveland on Thursday and indicted on charges of attempted endangering children and disseminating matter harmful to juveniles.
FOX 8 News reports Bell allegedly engaged in an inappropriate chat with the victim that, at times, was sexual in nature.
Bell was arraigned in Cuyahoga County Court where he pleaded not guilty to the charges and waived the reading of the indictment. Bell posted a $2,500 bond and was released. Terms of his bond included having no contact with the victim and must submit a DNA specimen, which are all standard procedures for defendants.
The alleged incident reportedly took place on Dec. 1, 2017, which is the same day Drake was scheduled to perform at a club in Cleveland.
Bell’s first pre-trial has been scheduled for June 17 at 9 a.m. in the courtroom of Judge Timothy McCormick, Cleveland’s ABC 5 reports.
The charges arrive less than a year after Bell’s ex-girlfriend Melissa Lingafelt accused him of verbal and physical abuse.
Last August, Lingafelt, a singer, and actress, posted a lengthy video on TikTok under her stage name Jimi Ono, detailing the alleged assault during their relationship from August 2006 to February 2009. Bell denied the claims, saying he “never abused my ex-girlfriend or did so many of the other things Melissa falsely claimed on her TikTok video.”
