Former Nickelodeon star Jared “Drake” Bell pleaded guilty on Wednesday to charges related to inappropriately messaging a 15-year-old fan. The 34-year-old Drake & Josh actor appeared via Zoom at a courtroom in Cleveland, Ohio, after he was arrested earlier this month for having improper communications with the teen. Their conversations turned sexual at points, according to Fox 8.
Bell pleaded guilty to the 4th degree felony of attempting to endanger children, as well as disseminating material harmful to juveniles, which is a 1st degree misdemeanor. Bell could face up to two years in prison.
The charges stem from when Bell performed at a concert in Cleveland in Dec. 2017, with officials claiming he sent the girl multiple messages in the lead up to the event. The teen reported the incident to her local police in Canada in 2018, who then referred the case to Cleveland police.
Last year, Bell’s former girlfriend Melissa Lingafelt came forward to accuse the actor of physically and emotionally abusing her over the course of their three-year relationship from 2006 to 2009. She recently told The Daily Beast that she had witnessed Bell preying on young women over the internet.
