CLEVELAND (AP) 鈥� One of the stars of the popular Nickelodeon children's show 鈥淒rake & Josh鈥� faces criminal charges regarding a girl he had met online and who attended his 2017 concert in Ohio when she was 15.
Jared 鈥淒rake鈥� Bell, 34, pleaded not guilty on Thursday in a Cleveland courtroom to a felony charge of attempted endangering children and a misdemeanor charge of disseminating matter harmful to juveniles.
鈥淎ll facts will be revealed in a courtroom," Bell鈥檚 attorney Ian Friedman said Friday, declining to comment further.
Bell was charged by information, which typically indicates a plea agreement has been reached. He is scheduled to appear before a judge on June 23.
Tyler Sinclair, spokesperson for Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O'Malley, said the girl filed a complaint with Canadian police in October 2018. Police there contacted Cleveland police, prompting an investigation.
The attempted endangering children charge relates to the concert, Sinclair said, where Bell 鈥渧iolated his duty of care鈥� and created a risk of harm to the victim. He didn't elaborate further.
Bell and the girl had 鈥渄eveloped a relationship鈥� online several years prior to the concert, Sinclair said. The disseminating harmful material charge concerns Bell having sent the girl 鈥渋nappropriate social media messages,鈥� Sinclair said.
Bell, also a singer, began acting as a child, but was catapulted to stardom as a teen with Nickelodeon's 鈥淭he Amanda Show鈥� and later 鈥淒rake & Josh,鈥� which debuted on the channel in January 2004. The final episode aired in September 2007. Bell and co-star Josh Beck also starred in two 鈥淒rake & Josh鈥� movies.
Mark Gillispie, The Associated Press
