Drake Bell of 'Drake and Josh' fame sentenced to probation on child endangerment charge

Hollywood actor Drake Bell, who rose to fame with the popular show Drake and Josh, has been sentenced to two years' probation and 200 hours of community service after he pleaded guilty to charges of child endangerment attempts and disseminating matter harmful to juveniles. According to variety, the Drake and Josh star initially pleaded not guilty but later on did accept a felony and misdemeanour charge. The charges were levied based on a 2017 incident with an underage girl who met him online and attended one of his concerts in Ohio when she was 15. 

The duo continued exchanging messages on social media for months post the meeting that was "at times ... sexual in nature," mentioned the police. The underage girl reported Bell to Toronto police in 2018, who then forwarded their findings to Cleveland police, post which Drake Bell was arrested on June 3. To this, Bell pleaded not guilty and was freed on a USD 2,500 personal bond with orders to not contact the victim again. 

Drake, a resident of West Hollywood, will now have to complete his 200 hours of community service in California. He will also face up to 2 years in prison. The actor has previously been arrested in 2015 for a DUI with bail set at USD 20,000. In that case, he spent four days in jail and had pleaded no contest to a misdemeanour. 

More about Drake Bell's career 

American actor, singer, songwriter, and musician Drake's career began when he was only 5 years old with an appearance on Home Improvement post which he starred in many commercials. Bell is best known for his starring roles on Nickelodeon's The Amanda Show and Drake & Josh. His most popular role was as Drake in the series that ran for four seasons and followed the story of stepbrothers Drake Parker (Bell) and Josh Nichols (Josh Peck). It went on to become one of Nickelodeon's highest-rated programs, averaging about 3 million viewers at the time. He also co-wrote and performed the theme song to Drake & Josh, titled Found a Way. 

Since then, the actor has starred in several movies like The Greys, L.A. Slasher, The Nutcracker Sweet, The Blind Girl, A Stork's Journey, The Big Trip and Cover Versions others. In July 2021, Bell revealed that he has been married since 2018 and has a son. In August 2020, former girlfriend Melissa Lingafelt slapped him with charges of verbal and physical abuse during their three-year relationship in the late 2000s. 

(Source-ANI)