“Most of the news you’ve heard recently is entirely false and wrong,” the actor said in an IGTV video.
It was just two months ago that Drake & Josh alum Drake Bell pled guilty to charges of child endangerment and was consequently sentenced to two years of probation. After taking some time to adjust to his new normal, the actor has turned to Instagram to share his side of the story.
“Most of the news you’ve heard recently is entirely false and wrong,” the 35-year-old told his followers. “I feel that you deserve, and I owe you, an explanation.”
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“If these claims were remotely true, my situation would be very different. I would not be here at home with my wife and with my son. But that being said, I am not perfect, and I make mistakes.”
Bell then clarified that he never had any sort of intimate relationship with an underage fan, but rather, responded to her without knowing her age, and then stopped responding when he found out that she was a minor.
“This individual continued to come to shows and pay for meet and greets, all while I was unaware that this was the same person I was communicating with online, and that’s what I plead guilty to,” the father of one went on to explain.
“It was reckless and irresponsible text messages. I want to make clear there were no sexual images, nothing physical between me and this individual.”
Complex reports that Bell was arrested and charged with crimes against children earlier this summer. The actor plead guilty to one count of disseminating matter harmful to juveniles and one count of attempted endangering children, which resulted in his probationary sentence.
You can watch the Drake & Josh star’s video for yourself below.
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