Drake Bell was sentenced to two years probation and 200 hours of community service in Cleveland court on Monday, July 12. The ruling came nearly three weeks after the 35-year-old actor pleaded guilty via Zoom to one count of attempted endangering children, a fourth-degree felony, and one count of disseminating matter harmful to juveniles, a first-degree misdemeanor.
Bell — who starred on the Nickelodeon show Drake & Josh in the early 2000s — was arrested by the Cleveland Division of Police and charged with both counts on June 3. He was released on a personal $2,500 bond and initially pleaded not guilty to both charges. A 15-year-old girl filed a report with her local police department in Canada in October 2018, regarding an alleged incident between her and Bell at a Cleveland nightclub in 2017. The Canadian authorities then contacted the Cleveland Division of Police, and an investigation was conducted. The investigation revealed the teen had attended Bell’s concert in December 2017, where Bell “violated his duty of care” and thus “created a risk of harm” to her. The investigation also showed Bell had sent the young female “inappropriate social media messages” in the months leading up the concert and that the teen “had established a relationship with Bell several years prior.”
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