'Drake and Josh' Star Drake Bell Charged With Crimes Against Children

Drake Bell, an actor from the Nickelodeon TV show, "Drake and Josh" is reportedly facing charges in Cleveland of crimes against children.

Bell, 34, whose legal name is Jared Drake Bell, is facing charges of attempted endangerment of children and disseminating harmful matter to juveniles, which is labeled as a sex crime in Ohio.

The incident reportedly took place in December 2017, though the exact details have yet to be released. Bell, who sometimes goes by Drake Campana, had tweeted in 2017 that he was scheduled to play a show at Cleveland's The Odeon Concert Club on Dec. 1, 2017.

According to Cleveland's WJW-TV, Bell was arrested by Cleveland Police, though an exact arrest date was not shown on court records. A mugshot taken at the Cuyahoga County Jail was dated June 3, WJW reported.

According to ABC4, Bell appeared in court on Thursday, where he pleaded not guilty and waived the reading of the indictment, and a personal bond for Bell was posted for $2,500.

WJW reported that Bell was also issued a no-contact order and has been asked to submit DNA, which is a standard rule in Cuyahoga County courts.

This is not the former child actor's first run-in with the law. In 2010, Bell was convicted for a 2009 driving under the influence incident in San Diego.

He was arrested on suspicion of another DUI in 2015 and yet again in 2016, and the Los Angeles Times reported he had spent four days in jail following his latest DUI conviction. He also received four years of probation.

In 2020, Bell's ex-girlfriend Melissa Lingafelt publicly accused him of verbally and physically abusing her when they dated back in 2006, The Los Angeles Times also reported. He allegedly denied the allegations, but others on Twitter came forward to share their experiences with Bell, one user claiming that he had dated a 16-year-old girl when he was 20.

The popular Nickelodeon sitcom that Bell starred in from 2004-2007 managed to launch his career, providing multiple "Drake and Josh" spinoffs after the show ended.

Bell made his debut in other shows and movies, like "A Fairly Odd Summer," "Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.," and "Victorious." He has also done some voice acting and released multiple albums.

According to Ohio law, the charge of disseminating matter harmful to children may be a misdemeanor charge, if the matter is deemed "harmful" by the court. If the court deems the material "obscene," or if the victim is under 13 years old, Ohio law dictates the charges are elevated to felony charges.

A pretrial hearing for Bell's recent crimes against children charges is scheduled for June 23, according to WJW.

Newsweek reached out to Cleveland Police for comment.