Hollywood actor Drake Bell, recently seemingly celebrated avoiding prison time related to charges involving misconduct with a minor by going live on Instagram with his infant son.
According to Fox News, the former Nickelodeon star was sentenced to two years' probation by an Ohio judge after pleading guilty to criminal charges involving a minor. Bell, whose real name is Jared Drake Bell, appeared in court Monday via Zoom from California where he was handed probation as well as 200 hours of community service and an order not to have contact with the victim.
People Magazine had reported that less than an hour after his virtual court appearance, Bell took to Instagram Live where fans may have assumed he'd speak out about the case. However, he instead sat with his son in his lap as he played the piano and sang to him and the camera.
Bell recorded Instagram Live from the same location he used to dial into the hearing virtually. He changed from a suit jacket and tie into a more casual shirt. "Father Son jam sesh," Bell captioned the video, which the Variety reports was posted to his feed but has seemingly been removed since.
This five-minute video marks Bell's first social media post of his son after confirming in a June 29 statement, written in Spanish, that he had welcomed a child with his longtime partner Janet Von Schmeling.
"In response to various rumors that are incorrect, I have been married for almost 3 years, and we are blessed to be the parents of a wonderful son. Thank you very much to all my fans around the world for your good wishes," he said at the time.
Following his arrest in the case involving the minor, Bell initially pleaded not guilty in June to attempted endangering children, a fourth-degree felony, and a misdemeanor charge of disseminating matter harmful to juveniles. Later that month, he agreed to a plea deal and pleaded guilty to both charges.
Bell has also been prohibited from contacting the victim, who is now 19. She spoke publicly for the first time during Monday's hearing to read a statement in which she called him "a monster" and accused him of grooming her from the age of 12 before allegedly sexually abusing her when she was 15.
As per Variety, in 2015, the actor was arrested for a DUI with bail set at USD 20,000. In that case, he had pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor and spent four days in jail.
'Drake and Josh', which debuted in 2004 and ran for four seasons followed the story of stepbrothers Drake Parker (Bell) and Josh Nichols (Josh Peck). The series further spawned two TV movies and was one of Nickelodeon's highest-rated programs, averaging about 3 million viewers at the time.
Bell had performed the show's opening theme song, 'I Found a Way', and has also released several albums throughout his career, including 2005's 'Telegraph', 2006's 'It's Only Time', 2014's 'Ready Steady Go!' and 2020's 'Sesiones En Casa'.
( With inputs from ANI )
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