A vandalism charge against a Bakersfield Police Department officer was dismissed Wednesday after he completed the terms of a plea deal, according to the Kern County District Attorney’s office.
Officer Nicholas Bell, 30, was charged with a misdemeanor in connection to destroying evidence at a downtown collision in January of last year. He pleaded no contest in September 2022 after police said he picked up an iPhone 12 Pro from a suspect and threw it on the ground at least three times out of frustration.
After completing 16 hours of anger management classes and 10 hours of counseling, Bell agreed to plead no contest in September 2022. Additional terms of that plea allowed Bell to withdraw his plea of no contest and have his case dismissed if he didn’t break the law for six months and pay restitution, according to Assistant District Attorney Joseph Kinzel, spokesman for the DA’s office.
Bell met these terms, Kinzel noted.
This procedure is called deferred entry of judgment and is often used by attorneys in cases where a defendant is charged with a misdemeanor and doesn’t have a significant criminal history, Kinzel added.
City of Bakersfield spokesman Joe Conroy wrote in an email Bell is still employed by the city. His paid administrative leave ended March 6 after having been on that status for the past year, Conroy said.
It’s unclear if Bell has resumed his duties at BPD.