Washington County Man Arrested for False Informing, Failure to Appear, and Contempt of Court

Faked death to avoid paying child support

Salem - An Indiana State Police (ISP) investigation led to the arrest of a Salem man Thursday on false informing and other charges.  

In April of 2024, ISP Detective Travis Baker met with the Washington County Child Support Administrator, who said she received emails stating Jeffrey Lynn Bell Jr. had passed away. The emails related that due to Mr. Bell's death, a large amount of child support owed by Bell would go unpaid. Detective Baker was also informed that Jeffrey Bell was allegedly still living and staying at a residence in northern Washington County with his girlfriend.  

Soon after, Detective Baker responded to the possible residence and encountered a man who Baker would eventually identify as Jeffrey Bell Jr., despite initial claims to the contrary.  As a result of this investigation, the Washington County Prosecutor initially charged Jeffrey Bell with False Informing and provided an initial court date.  

On Thursday, January 23rd, Jeffrey Bell Jr. appeared in the Washington County Circuit Court via a virtual online meeting regarding the False Informing charges.  Bell made his court appearance virtually instead of an in-person meeting due to allegedly being out of the state.  However, during the online court proceedings, officials came to believe Jeffrey Bell was still in Indiana and attending the virtual meeting from the same Washington County residence where Detective Baker had initially contacted Bell. 
 
Washington County Sheriff's Department deputies responded to the residence while the virtual meeting was ongoing.  Information gained at the house after the officer's arrival confirmed Jeffrey Bell Jr. was inside the residence and not out of state, prompting presiding Judge Larry Medlock to order Bell taken into custody and transported immediately to his courtroom.  

As a result of his actions, Jeffrey Bell Jr. is currently charged with three counts of Failing to Appear, one count of False Informing, and one count of Contempt of Court.  Jeffrey Bell was incarcerated in the Washington County Jail and is being held on a $100,000 bond for the False Informing charge and without bond for two of the Failure to Appear charges and the Contempt charge.  Bell is held on a $500 bond for one of the Failure to Appear charges.