Drake Bell Arrested: Former Nickelodeon Star Charged With Attempted Endangering Children, Pleads Not Guilty
Drake Bell is in some serious trouble. The actor has been arrested in Ohio and charged with attempted endangering children, according to court documents.
The 34-year-old is also charged with disseminating matter harmful to juveniles.
The alleged incident happened on December 1, 2017, the same day Bell was scheduled to perform at a club in Cleveland.
Tyler Sinclair, rep for the Cuyahoga County District Attorney’s Office, confirmed that in October 2018, the female juvenile victim, 15, filed a report with her local police department in Canada regarding an incident that occurred between her and Bell 34, the previous year at a Cleveland nightclub on Old River Road in the city’s East Bank of The Flats district.
Canadian authorities contacted the Cleveland Division of Police who conducted a subsequent investigation. That investigation revealed that the victim, who had established a relationship with Bell several years prior, attended his concert in December 2017. While there, Bell violated his duty of care and, in doing so, created a risk of harm to the victim.
The investigation also revealed that months leading up to the concert, Bell sent the victim inappropriate social media messages that were sexual in nature.
Court documents show the Cleveland Division of Police was the arresting agency but does not say when he was arrested. His mugshot taken at the Cuyahoga County Jail is dated Thursday, June 3, just before 3 p.m.
Bell later appeared in Cuyahoga County court and entered a not guilty plea. He posted a $2,500 bond and agreed to have no contact with the alleged victim in the case.
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Bell his due back in court on June 23.
Bell, also known as Drake Campana, got his Hollywood start as a child actor in the early 1990s with his first televised appearance on Home Improvement. He is best known for his starring roles on Nickelodeon's The Amanda Show and Drake & Josh. He also starred in a trilogy of The Fairly OddParents movies on Nickelodeon.
In addition to acting, Bell has a career in music starting in the early 2000s, at the time of his appearances on The Amanda Show, with a band named Drake 24/7. In 2005, he independently released his debut album, Telegraph, released under his own name. His second album, It's Only Time, was released in 2006 after signing with Universal Motown Records and debuted at #81 on the Billboard 200, selling over 23,000 copies during its first week of release.
In 2014, Bell released his third album, Ready Steady Go! under indie label Surfdog Records. Ready Steady Go! debuted at #182 on the Billboard 200. He released an EP titled Honest on June 30, 2017.
Despite his squeaky clean image, the Newport Beach native has had his run ins with the law before. He was arrested on December 21, 2015 for driving under the influence in Glendale, Calif. at 2:45 a.m. after police officers witnessed him swerving and driving well over the speed limit. He was subsequently released on $20,000 bond and pleaded not guilty.
In August 2020, his former girlfriend Melissa Lingafelt accused him of verbal and physical abuse during their three-year relationship in the late 2000s. Bell has denied the allegations.
