Drake Bell's Ex-Girlfriend, Who Previously Accused Him Of Abuse And Alleged Penchant For 'Underage Girls,' Speaks Out Following His Bombshell Arrest For Child Endangerment
Drake Bell's ex-girlfriend – who has accused the star of abuse as well as having a penchant for "underage girls" – is addressing the 34-year-old Nickelodeon alum's recent arrest for attempted child endangerment and disseminating matter harmful to juveniles.
Posting a screenshot of various news outlets' coverage of the arrest to her Instagram Story, 30-year-old musician Melissa Lingafelt – who goes by the stage name Jimi Ono – wrote, "Not gonna be like told you so, but......"
She first opened up about her relationship with the Drake & Josh star in August 2020 in a TikTok video that's since been made private.
The two dated for over two years – from August 2006 to February 2009 – when he was 19 and she was 16.
"First off, I'd like to start out by saying I don't really care if anyone believes me, as this is my story and my life and something that I went through," Melissa began her video, adding that "it wasn't until recently that I actually realized that abuse isn't something that all women have to go through."
"I moved in with him. I was singing. It wasn't until about a year when the verbal abuse started," she said. "And when I say verbal abuse, imagine the worst type of verbal abuse you could ever imagine, and that was what I got."
"It then turned to physical – hitting, throwing, everything," Lingafelt continued. "At the pinnacle of it, he drug [sic] me down the stairs of our house on Los Feliz. My face hit every step on the way down. I have photos of this."
She added, "I don't even want to get into the underage girls thing. I mean I will, but I'm scared."
"Hi there. Thank you for speaking out about Drake Bell," the person wrote. "I can personally confirm he had sex with a friend of mine who was 15 years old when he was 20. I sent him this message 2 years ago." (The screenshot of the message allegedly sent to Drake was not legible.)
"I remember you speaking to my friend on the phone after it happened and you told her he choked you and spit in your face," the anonymous sender added. "This was in 2006."
DAILY. BREAKING. CELEBRITY NEWS. ALL FREE.
Melissa seemed to recall the phone call, responding with four exclamation points and adding, "This is the girl he cheated on me with and took her virginity right!?"
The rest of their conversation was cut off.
Lingafelt later took to her Instagram Story to write, "Everyone that really knows me and has been a friend of mine for the past 15 years, knows all too well of the abuse that Drake Bell put me through. I have so many witnesses, I have photos, it was my life. If you don't believe me, it is clear to me what kind of person you are, and I don't need that on my side."
In an apparent response to critics, she added, "Nobody wants attention from abuse!!!!!!!"
"I hope this gives girls the strength to come out about their experiences with him," she said, "because I know for a fact he has hundreds of victims."
At the time, Bell denied Lingafelt's accusations, telling People he "never abused my ex-girlfriend or did so many of the other things Melissa falsely claimed on her TikTok video."
"As our relationship ended – more than a decade ago – we, unfortunately, both called each other terrible names, as often happens when couples are breaking up," he said. "But that is it."
"Clearly, Melissa still felt close enough to me just last year that she was comfortable reaching out to ask me to provide her with financial support during a tough time (which I did)," he claimed.
"I do not know if today's behavior is some kind of misguided quest for more money or attention," he added. "But I cannot and will not allow these offensive and defamatory allegations to go unchallenged and I am reviewing my legal options."
Bell was arrested by the Cleveland Division of Police on charges of attempted child endangerment and disseminating matter harmful to juveniles. He was booked in Cuyahoga County Jail on Thursday.
While there, Drake was asked to submit a sample of his DNA, which is a standard practice in the state of Ohio.
He was later released from jail after posting a $2,500 personal bond and agreed to have no contact with the alleged victim.
According to court documents obtained by RadarOnline.com, prosecutors say the actor/musician's alleged victim was 15 years old when he "recklessly" attempted to "create a substantial risk to" her health and safety on Dec. 1, 2017.
Bell was scheduled to perform at a venue in Cleveland that night.
The charges accuse him of violating "a duty of care, protection or support and the violation resulted in serious physical harm" to the alleged victim.
A rep for the Cuyahoga County District Attorney's Office, Tyler Sinclair, told us that "the investigation also revealed that months leading up to the concert, Bell sent the victim inappropriate social media messages."
Reps for Drake have not yet responded to RadarOnline.com's request for comment.