Carlos Deangelo Bell
La Plata, MD – Tony Covington, State’s Attorney for Charles County, in conjunction with Charles County Sheriff Troy Berry and Superintendent of Charles County Public Schools Dr. Kimberly Hill, advised that on Friday, Oct. 20, the Grand Jury for Charles County returned a 206 count indictment for Carlos Deangelo Bell of Waldorf. This third indictment against Bell includes the previous allegations found in two prior indictments filed on June 30, 2017 and July 28, 2017, as well as charges for additional victims uncovered during the ongoing investigation.
The 206 count indictment covers 28 identified alleged victims and 14 unidentified alleged victims. The time frame of the alleged conduct spans approximately 2 years from May of 2015 through June of 2017. The ages of the alleged victims at the time the offenses were committed range from 11 years old to 17 years old.
In open Court Bell was served with this latest indictment and served with the State’s notice that, if he is convicted of certain crimes alleged in the indictment, the State will be seeking a life sentence. Bell is still being held without bond. Trial on these charges is scheduled for January 8, 2018.
At this time, the State is not aware of any alleged victim having tested positive for human immunodeficiency virus. Previous reporting to the contrary made by certain media outlets was inaccurate.
The investigation into Carlos Bell’s activities is still ongoing. The Sheriff’s Office continues the effort to identify any and all alleged victims in this matter. The State’s Attorney’s Office strongly encourages parents/guardians to speak with any child that may have had contact with Carlos Bell and immediately report any relevant information to the Sheriff’s Office.
The following is a table summarizing the latest indictment. The table lists the 11 categories of crimes charged, how many counts for each category of crime and the maximum penalty for each category of crime.
Charge Number of Counts Max Sentence Per Count
Sexual Abuse of a Minor 22 25 years
Second Degree Sex Offense – Force 19 20 years
Second Degree Sex Offences – Age 19 20 years
Third Degree Sex Offense 7 10 years
Second Degree Assault 3 10 years and/or $2,500 fine
Child Pornography — Filming 97 10 years and/or $25,000 fine
Solicitation of a Minor 6 10 years and/or $25,000 fine
Displaying Obscene Item to Minor 13 1 year and/or $1,000 fine
Attempted Transfer of HIV 5 3 years and/or $2,500 fine
Contributing to Delinquency Minor 8 3 years and/or $2,500 fine
Distribution of Marijuana 7 5 years and/or $15,000 fine.
Previous report filed in July 2017 by Joseph Norris
La Plata, MD – Carlos Deangelo Bell, 30 of Waldorf, charged July 3 with three counts of child pornography and two second-degree assault charges for inappropriate sexual contact with minors, was indicted by a Charles County Grand Jury Friday, July 21 on 119 counts ranging from child sexual abuse to distribution of marijuana.
Charles County States Attorney Tony Covington held a press conference on the Charles County Courthouse steps Monday, July 31 to announce the new indictments and said the investigation is nowhere near complete.
“So far we have determined that there are 24 victims,” Covington said. “Thirteen of those have been identified, 11 have not been identified.”
Most of the abuse occurred within the time frame of June 2015 through June 2017, but he added some of the abuse may have taken place before that time period.
“What I can tell you is that the investigation is still ongoing,” he said.
Covington said there are essentially 11 different crimes which were committed over and over to total 119.
He outlined a list of charges to date: Twelve counts of child sexual abuse, each which carries a 25-year sentence; Forty-eight counts of second-degree sexual abuse of children, each carrying a 20-year sentence; Two counts of third-degree sexual abuse, each carries a 10-year sentence; Two counts of sexual assault, each with a 10-year sentence; Forty-four counts of filming child pornography, a felony which carries a 10-year sentence each; Two counts of solicitation of a minor, each carrying a 10-year sentence; Five counts of displaying obscene materials to minors, each carrying a one-year sentence; Three counts of intentionally transmitting the HIV virus, each charge carrying a three-year sentence; Six counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, each with a three-year sentence; and one count of distributing marijuana which carries a five-year penalty.
Covington said it is unknown at this time when the investigation will be complete.
“Detectives and the [Charles County] sheriff’s office are interviewing witnesses as we speak,” he said. “We still need the public’s help,” the prosecutor added, saying anyone with information on the case should call the established hotline at 1-800-CALLFBI.
“My responsibility in this case is to seek justice,” Covington stressed. “But it is my obligation to make sure the defendant gets a fair trial. Every defendant no matter what their crime, is presumed innocent until proven guilty. I also want to make sure when the dust settles that no one can say Mr. Bell didn’t get a fair trial.”
Contact Joseph Norris at joe.norris@thebaynet.com