Inverness man charged with sexual crimes against child
CCSO mugshot of Mr. Bell.
Citrus County, Florida - On Dec. 21, 2022, 45 year-old Inverness, Florida resident Jeffrey Lynn Bell was arrested by the Citrus County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) on a warrant charging him with sexual battery of a child under the age of 12, and lewd and lascivious molestation of a child under the age of 12, as a result of an investigation into several incidents that allegedly occurred between March 2020 and March 2021.
On Dec. 1, 2022, the Citrus County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) was contacted by the parent of the juvenile victim in this case with information that the victim had disclosed that she/he had been sexually abused by Mr. Bell. Detective Ryan Brown with the CCSO's Special Victims Unit (SVU) began an investigation into the allegations.
During an interview with the Child Protection Team at Jessie's Place Child Advocacy Center in Lecanto, Florida, the victim stated that Bell had touched him/her in a sexual manner on numerous occasions while they were visiting at a friend's residence in Inverness.
Detective Brown obtained evidence that supported the victim's allegations, and he consulted with the State Attorney's Office to obtain a warrant for Bell's arrest. On Dec. 21, 2022, Detective Brown made contact with Bell during a traffic stop. Bell declined to speak with Detective Brown, and he was placed under arrest.
"Bell gained the trust of the victim and their family, and used his position to take advantage of the victim for sexual gratification," said Citrus County Sheriff Mike Prendergast. "His actions are even more heinous due to the fact he repeated these actions multiple times over the course of a year. The Citrus County Sheriff's Office is committed to finding justice for all victims in our community. We hope that this arrest is the beginning of the healing process for this victim and their family."
Bell is currently being held at the Citrus County Detention Facility in Lecanto, Florida without bond. No additional reports against Bell have been made.
About the Citrus County Sheriff's Office's Special Victims Unit:
Special Victims Unit conducts specialized investigations into the sexual and physical abuse cases involving children. This unit works in direct conjunction with the Citrus County State Attorney's Office, Jesse's Advocacy Center, the Department of Children and Families, as well as other local, state and federal agencies to investigate and prosecute cases involving sexual exploitation and abuse, human trafficking, severe physical abuse cases involving children and a wide variety of other crimes against children. The detectives assigned to this unit are among the most skilled and experienced investigators in law enforcement and undergo in-depth training in various forensic disciplines and other specialized training topics.