Former Nickelodeon TV star Drake Bell has been charged with attempted child endangerment and disseminating matter harmful to children.
Bell, whose real first name is Jared, pleaded not guilty to both charges and is scheduled to appear in an Ohio court for a pre-trial hearing on 23 June.
According to the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office, the 15-year-old female victim from Canada reported the alleged offences in 2018.
Police in Cleveland said she had “established a relationship with Bell several years prior and attended his concert in December 2017”, according to NBC News.
Tyler Sinclair, spokesperson for Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O’Malley, said the attempted child endangerment charge related to the concert where Bell “violated his duty of care” and created a risk of harm to the victim.
The disseminating harmful material charge concerns Bell having sent the girl “inappropriate social media messages,” Mr Sinclair added.
Bell’s attorney Ian Friedman said: “All facts will be revealed in a courtroom.”
The 34-year-old was one of the stars of the popular Nickelodeon children’s show Drake & Josh, a show about teen brothers which began its run in January 2004, finishing three years later.
Bell, who began acting as a child and is now a singer, also starred in two Drake & Josh movies with co-star Josh Beck.
