CHESAPEAKE, Va. — Court records reveal a lengthy criminal history for 41-year-old James Bell, the man last seen with 14-year-old Deborah "Abby" Jenkins who Virginia State Police issued a CODI Alert for on Monday.
Abby's last official location is the Comfort Inn and Suites on South Military Highway in Chesapeake, captured on surveillance video walking down a hallway with Bell.
Virginia State Police confirmed Bell is a Tier 3 offender on the state's sex offender registry, stemming from an aggravated sexual battery charge from 2011.
According to the probable cause summary from 2010, a woman woke up at a friend's house in Portsmouth to find Bell on top of her, who told her he would "get her one way or the other." The criminal complaint describes the victim screaming "no" and trying to get away.
He was charged with rape and object sexual penetration.
Years later, court records show he was also charged with assault on a law enforcement officer after colliding with a police officer during a chase. He also faced charges of felony hit and run, and malicious shooting for a separate incident in 2018.
“Speaking our fears brings them into existence," Abby's sister Veronica Ferris said. "And the fears we’re having, we’re praying are not real. We’re praying they’re left unfounded.”
