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At his sentencing hearing in July, Cuyahoga County Judge Timothy McCormick said he had heard “a lot of serious and disturbing allegations” but added he “cannot lose. of view what has been invoked “. The Associated Press reported.
“The point is, your position and your celebrity status allows you to nurture that relationship,” McCormick said. “You were able to access this child. “
In July, Bell was sentenced to two years of child endangerment probation and 200 hours of community service for his conduct with a young fan, whom he met online and then in person, who has lasted for years. Authorities previously said that in October 2018, the victim – who was 19 at the time of Bell’s conviction in 2021 – contacted Toronto Police, who forwarded her findings to Cleveland Police, which triggered investigation.
According to the victim, the former Drake and Josh The star began making contact with her through online chats at the age of 12, with those communications turning into “overtly sexual” exchanges at the age of 15. The young woman, who called Bell a “pedophile” during her July hearing in Cleveland, said the two had exchanged explicit photos and on several occasions – including at a concert hall in Cleveland and at a hotel – had engaged in sexual behavior.
In his video, Bell said that “I am not perfect and I make mistakes” and called his behavior “reckless and irresponsible”, but denied having maintained communication with the victim for an extended period of time or that he knew who she was. during face-to-face meetings.
“I replied to a fan whose age I did not know. When I realized how old they were, all conversation and communication stopped, ”he said. “This person kept coming to shows and paying for dating, and although I didn’t know this was the same person I was communicating with online, that’s what I argued against. guilty.”
Bell initially pleaded not guilty to the charges, but eventually reached a plea deal with prosecutors. He was convicted in June of the attempted crime of endangering children, on one charge of disseminating information harmful to minors.
The attempted endangerment charge relates to the concert, where Cuyahoga County District Attorney’s Office spokesman Tyler Sinclair said Bell “breached his duty of care” and created a risk of harm to the victim. The broadcast charge was linked to “inappropriate social media posts,” according to Sinclair.
In his video, Bell also addressed this misdemeanor charge and the text messages that served as evidence in his case, denying that explicit images were exchanged and that anything “physical” had happened between him and him. the victim.
“I want to clarify that there was no sexual image, nothing physical between me and this individual,” he said. “I have not been accused of anything physical. I have not been charged with disseminating photographs or images or anything like that. It’s strictly on text messages.
“When I was presented with a plea deal because of the posts, I thought it was the best way to get it over with quickly and for everyone involved to move on and for me to start over. do what I love, ”he added.
Bell ended his post by thanking fans for doing their own research and staying by his side.
“I want to say thank you to everyone who saw through the lies and did their research and looked at my case and saw what it was, instead of going through all this media confusion,” he said. . “Don’t believe the media straight away. That’s a lot of click bait. Do your own research and draw conclusions.
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