SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) – A retired Assistant Attorney General who was employed in the Child Protection Division has been arrested on charges of sexual exploitation of a minor.
Gary Lee Bell, 66, worked with the Utah Attorney General’s Office and prosecuted crimes against children.
Bell was arrested on six counts of sexual exploitation of a minor when authorities at The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a cyber tip on May 22, 2022 about child sex abuse material being uploaded.
The materials were traced back to Bell’s IP address and personal email. The images uploaded involved a girl as young as 6 years old.
A search warrant was served at Bell’s Spanish Fork residence where he was taken into custody.
During questioning, Bell was asked for his email address which corresponded with the email involved in the illicit material upload.
Bell is being held without bail as police say he regularly babysits his young grandchildren.
Arrest documents say at one point, Bell allegedly attempted to secretly record his wife while she was in the shower without her permission.
The Utah Attorney General’s Office provided ABC4 with a statement, saying:
“Mr. Bell deserves his day in court, he is innocent until proven guilty.
Our office works diligently to fight the kinds of sexual exploitation Mr. Bell is accused of in the charging docket. We will continue to bring justice for every sexual exploitation case investigated and prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Office. Mr. Bell’s prior connection to the Office will in no way prevent the course of justice to prevail.”
Bell has been arrested on six charges of sexual exploitation of a minor and is currently booked at the Utah County Jail.
