Drake Bell pleads guilty to attempted child endangerment after arrest

A sentencing date has been set for 12 July.

Former Nickelodeon star Drake Bell has pleaded guilty to child endangerment during a hearing yesterday. The actor, who is known for his performance on the teen series Drake & Josh, was arrested in Cleveland earlier this month. According to court documents obtained by PEOPLE, Bell  was charged with child endangerment over an incident that took place in 2017. He initially entered a not guilty plea, but subsequently said that he was guilty as he agreed to a plea deal. KXAN, an NBC affiliate, reported that the alleged incident involved Bell engaging in an inappropriate chat with a 15 year-old girl. At the hearing yesterday, a judge told Bell that the charge of attempted endangering children carries a sentence of anywhere from six to 18 months in prison, and/or a fine of up to $5,000 (€4,192). The judge stipulated, however, that prison time is not mandatory. A second charge against Bell - disseminating matter harmful to juveniles - carries a six month jail term, and/or a fine of $1,000. The judge also told the actor that if he does go to prison, he could be "subjected to a discretionary period of three years post-release control", which could "involve restrictions" on his activities. Bell said that he understood this, and that he understood that a guilty plea is an admission of the various crimes. A sentencing date has been set for 12 July. During this, the victim will have the option of reading a victim-impact statement. In a statement issued to PEOPLE, Bell's lawyer, Ian Friedman, said: "All questions about this case will be answered at sentencing, including why Mr Bell chose to enter his plea."