Drake Bell, real name Jared Drake Bell, pled guilty last month to attempted child endangerment, a fourth-degree felony, and disseminating material harmful to minors, a first-degree misdemeanour. Prosecutors claim Bell, who was on tour at the time of the event, created a risk of harm by allowing a child to attend his show.
Bell was sentenced to two years of probation and 200 hours of community service by Judge Timothy McCormick of Ohio’s Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court on Monday as part of a plea agreement for child endangerment charges stemming from an incident in December 2017.
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McCormick stated during Bell’s sentence that the 35-year-old “did take advantage” of the then-15-year-old victim.
Statement on behalf of Drake Bell by Attorneys Ian Friedman and Madelyn Grant: pic.twitter.com/tYG7Rb7hhz
— Ian Friedman (@IanNFriedman) July 12, 2021
“You were able to gain access to this child and you were able to gain the trust of the child,” the judge asserted, as reported by People.
So it’s a two-edged sword, your position. I hope you truly are remorseful, I don’t know [if you are].
“Today I accept this plea because my conduct was wrong. I’m sorry that the victim was harmed in any way — that was obviously not my intention,” the 35-year-old said in a statement.
I have taken this matter very, very seriously, and again I just want to apologize to her and anyone else who may have been affected by my actions.
Bell’s lawyer, Ian Friedman, also stressed in a statement that “sexual registration was not imposed” despite the counts his client pled guilty to. Instead of rejecting the victim’s claims, Friedman stated the victim’s assertions lacked “supporting evidence”.
However, the victim’s evidence, which she gave, now 19, painted a harsher picture of Bell, whom she described as the “epitome of evil.”
“He was calculating. He preyed on me and sexually abused me,” she told the court in a pre-written statement via Zoom, noting that he sent her pictures of his genitalia.
“He is a monster and a danger to children.”
She also called the 35-year-old a “coward” for choosing to attend court online rather than in person.
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“Jared Drake Bell is a pedophile and that is his legacy,” she asserted.
Photo by Jeff Kravitz/2019 iHeartMedia via Getty