CLEVELAND, Ohio — Drake Bell, the Nickelodeon star who played Drake in the TV show “Drake and Josh,” pleaded guilty during his pretrial hearing Wednesday to crimes involving a 15-year-old girl while he visited Cleveland.
Bell, 34, of West Hollywood, California, pleaded guilty to attempted endangering children, a fourth-degree felony, and disseminating matter harmful to juveniles, a first-degree misdemeanor.
In October 2018, the 15-year-old victim filed a report with her local police department in Canada regarding an incident that occurred between her and Bell in 2017 at a Cleveland nightclub on Old River Road in the city’s East Bank of The Flats district, according to the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office.
Canadian authorities contacted the Cleveland Division of Police, which conducted the subsequent investigation.
Investigators determined the 15-year-old victim, who they say had established a relationship with Bell several years prior, attended his concert in Cleveland in December 2017.
While he was there, the prosecutor’s office said he violated his duty of care, and, in doing so, created a risk of harm to the victim.
The prosecutor’s office said the investigation revealed that in the months leading up to the concert, Bell sent the victim inappropriate social media messages.
Bell will be sentenced on July 12 at noon.
This story was originally published by Ian Cross and Kaylyn Hlavaty at WEWS.