N. Coventry Firefighter, OJR Volunteer, Sexually Abused Teen: DA

EAST COVENTRY, PA — A Montgomery County firefighter was arrested after sexually abusing a teenage boy he met using an online dating app, the Chester County District Attorney's Office announced over the weekend.

Carlton Raye Bell Jr., 27, of East Coventry, a battalion chief with the North Coventry Fire Company and volunteer with Limerick, Ridge, and Goodwill fire companies, was suspended from all duties once charges were filed.

Bell, a 2010 graduate of Owen J. Roberts, was also a volunteer in the school's ROTC program, and had contact with the group on multiple occasions over the past several years, the school district said in a letter sent home to parents on Monday.

Authorities said they traced Bell's criminal activity back to Sept. 15, 2019, after he began communicating with the 14-year-old boy on Grindr, an app geared toward the LGBTQ community.

The victim told Bell he was 15, but Bell still sent him nude photos, eventually requesting they move the conversation to SnapChat so the conversations would disappear, according to the DA's Office.

Bell later picked the child up at his home in Caln Township and brought him back to East Coventry, where he had sex with him, the DA's Office said.

A few days later, on Sept. 19, Bell picked up two more teens, aged 16 and 17, and then picked up the first one again, according to authorities. He then drove them back to his home and had sexual contact with all of them, police said.

East Coventry Police received a tip regarding the situation on Dec. 24, and, after an investigation, arrested Bell on Jan. 17.

The Owen J. Roberts School District said that Bell volunteered with the NJROTC drill team from 2016 through 2017, and visited the school in the fall of 2019 at least twice. However, the district said that Bell was never left alone with students on any of these occasions.

"News like this is extremely disturbing," Susan T. Lloyd, Owen J. Roberts' superintendent, wrote in the letter. "And reminds us that we must be ever vigilant to protect our children."

Bail was set at $150,000, and he was ordered to have no contact with the victims, minors, or with any fire company. He's also been prohibited from using the Internet. He faces numerous charges, including involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, statutory sexual assault, unlawful contact with a minor, and related counts.

Bell was unable to post bail and was taken to Chester County Prison. A preliminary hearing is set for Jan. 23.

If you have any information related to this case concerning a current OJR student, contact Brandon Daniels at 610-469-5821. For any other concerns regarding the case, contact Chester County Detective Joseph Walton at 610-344-6866.