Drake Bell has plead guilty to attempted child endangerment

And although he initially plead not guilty to the charges, People magazine has reported he agreed to a plea deal during a virtual court appearance on Wednesday (23.06.21).

The judge in Drake’s case said at the hearing: “My understanding is there’s been a plea agreement reached where the defendant will plead guilty to count one attempted endangering children, a felony in the fourth degree [and] plead guilty to count two: disseminating matter harmful to juveniles, a misdemeanour the first degree.”

Drake was then told his attempted child endangerment charge carries a sentence of six to 18 months in prison in monthly increments and/or a fine of up to $5,000, while disseminating matter harmful to juveniles carries up to six months in jail and/or a fine of up to $1,000.

He continued: “However, if you go to prison, upon your release, you could be subjected to a discretionary period of three years post-release control. Post-release control could involve restrictions on your activities. If you were to violate those restrictions, you can be returned to prison, [for] up to a maximum of one half of your original sentence.”

When he asked Drake if he understood the potential penalties, the 34-year-old actor said: “I do, Your Honour. Yes.”

Drake will now need to attend a sentencing hearing on July 12, where he is also set to explain why he chose to accept a plea deal.

His lawyer, Ian Friedman said in a statement: “All questions about this case will be answered at sentencing, including why Mr. Bell chose to enter his plea.”

The actor was released from police custody after submitting a $2,500 bond, and agreed to not have contact with his alleged victim upon being released, and has been required to submit a DNA specimen.

The alleged incident reportedly took place on December 1, 2017 when he was scheduled to perform at a club in Cleveland, Ohio.