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Police report
© St. Petersburg Times, published March 26, 2003
NEW PORT RICHEY -- A 23-year-old man was arrested Monday and accused of drugging a 15-year-old girl and then having sex with her, the Pasco County Sheriff's Office reported.
James Paul Bell III, 12518 Havana Drive, faces a charge of sexual battery. He was held Tuesday in the county jail in Land O'Lakes with bail set at $100,000.
The victim told detectives that the sexual encounter occurred in June. She said Bell gave her marijuana and a pill and she passed out, according to reports. When she woke up, she said, Bell was on top of her, having sexual intercourse with her.
The Sheriff's Office did not disclose where the alleged crime occurred. The victim's name is being withheld by the Times because of her age and the nature of the allegations.
Bell initially denied having any type of sexual contact with the girl. When DNA tests showed otherwise, Bell said he and the girl had consensual sex, according to reports.