Apr 6, 2026 By Garrett Neese 2 min read

A Republic man faces several counts of possessing child pornography.

Jerry Don Bell II, 41, was the subject of an FBI investigation dating back to 2022. It was subsequently handed over to the police in Masontown, where Bell was living at the time, said Fayette County District Attorney Mike Aubele.

Bell is charged with five counts of child pornography — one for every instance in which an image came back with an ascertainable victim in the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children database, Aubele said.

“We have what we believe are hundreds of suspected images, which is not uncommon for somebody who’s in possession of child pornography,” he said. “We think we’re comfortable right now proceeding on the five that we have, but of course that might change should further investigation warrant it.”

Aubele thanked the FBI for their work in the case and their trust in the local departments to proceed at the commonwealth level.

In one case, the FBI worked with the county to provide a medium to view the evidence after officers were unable to read the files, Aubele said.

“We try to get these things done as soon as we can, but there are obviously challenges that come up in an investigation where we have multi agencies working,” he said.

Bell’s bail was denied. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 15.