Drake Bell pleads guilty to child endangerment

Former Nickelodeon child star Drake Bell of the hit show Drake & Josh pleaded guilty to child endangerment in an Ohio court yesterday.

Bell was charged earlier this month for allegedly "attempting to endanger children and disseminating material harmful to juveniles", for which he had initially pleaded "not guilty" on Thursday of last week.

The actor and singer was released after posting bail and having agreed not to contact the alleged victim in the case.

He could face up to two years in prison after entering this new plea.

According to the New York Times, prosecutors say that the charges come from an incident after a concert by Bell in 2017, where he then engaged in conversation with a 15-year old girl. They also allege that he had sent the girl messages that were "sexual in nature" months before his show had taken place.

Prosecutors say that Bell "violated his duty of care" and "in doing so, created a risk of harm to the victim". He was indicted by a grand jury back in May.

Drake & Josh aired for four seasons from 2004-2007, with Bell playing a character of the same name as one of two step-brothers. He had recently started a music career under the new name of Drake Campana.