Drake Bell faces 2-year jail term after pleading guilty to child endangerment

Actor Drake Bell pleaded guilty of attempted child endangerment on Wednesday, after which he faces two years in prison. 

The 34-year-old actor, who is known for his role on Nickelodeon’s Drake & Josh, pleaded guilty during a virtual pretrial hearing on Wednesday as he reportedly reached a deal with prosecutors.

Bell's defense attorney told the Associated Press that it will be revealed during sentencing why the actor chose to enter today’s plea, after initially pleaded not guilty to two charges during a court appearance earlier this month.

The Amanda Show actor pleaded guilty to felony attempted child endangerment—that has a sentence of six to 18 months maximum, anywhere, along with a fine of $5,000.

Bell also confessed to his crime of disseminating matter harmful to juveniles that can put you in county jail for up to six months with a fine of $1,000.

According to a report by WJW, the accusations against the former Nickelodeon star are connected to his internet chats with an underage person from December 2017, where his messages were “sexual in nature.”

Moreover, it was revealed that the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office stated that the 15-year-old alleged victim had filed a report in 2018 with her local police department in Canada back in October 2018, a year after the incident had occurred in Cleveland.

The report further claims that Cleveland police had investigated the matter after getting notified by Canadian authorities.

The probe discovered that Bell and the alleged victim had formed a relationship years before after which she attended a concert of the actor in December 2017 in Cleveland.

It was reported that at the concert, “[Drake] Bell violated his duty of care and, in doing so, created a risk of harm to the victim.”

Apart from that, the investigation also found out that Bell had allegedly sent inappropriate messages to the victim during the months before the concert.

He was arraigned in Cuyahoga County court but is now free on a $2,500 personal bond. He agreed to maintain no contact with the alleged victim.

The singer and actor’s custody occurred following an indictment on May 21.