Continuance granted in case of alleged Internet predator

A continuance has been granted again for a Murfreesboro man accused of several sexually-related charges via the Internet involving a minor.

Defense attorney John Norton said Wednesday he and the prosecution have agreed that March 17 will be the next court appearance for 27-year-old Brian Allen Bell.

Bell faces four counts of solicitation of a minor, sexual exploitation of a minor by electronic means and distributing obscene material to a minor.

Norton told the T-G that his office has additional evidence that will be presented to prosecutors, necessitating the delay

Bell had already been given a continuance in December so that Norton could have access to electronic records.

The Murfreesboro man was accused last year of using the popular social networking Internet site MySpace to try to make contact with a Bedford County teen.

A concerned parent contacted authorities last August over messages his 15-year-old daughter was allegedly receiving from Bell via the Web site, according to Sgt. Nikia Elliott of the Bedford County Sheriff's Department.

Elliott stated that the girl "tried to get rid of the 27-year-old, but he wouldn't leave her alone and wanted her phone number."

With the permission of the girl's father, Bell was given the phone numbers he asked for and Elliott explained that "over the next four days, he was sending some pretty vulgar invitations to her and also some pictures of himself."

Warrants filed by Elliott stated that the Murfreesboro man allegedly used a cell phone to send images of himself of a sexual nature.

Bell also "did intentionally invite or attempt to induce through the use of a cell phone who he believed to be a fifteen year old girl to engage in conduct that if completed would have constituted statutory rape," the warrant reads.

"The defendant sent several text messages to the juvenile of a sexual nature describing sexual acts that he wished her to fulfill," Elliott wrote in the warrants.

But Elliott then said investigators turned the tables and "used MySpace, Facebook and everything else to figure out who he was and where he was at and finally tracked him down."

Bell is free on $25,000 bond.