Darrin Bell, a Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist and journalist, has been arrested and charged with possession of child pornography. According to a post on the Sacramento County Jail’s website, Bell was taken into custody on January 15 and is accused of the crime of “possession/Control of obscene material depicting a person under 18 years of age.”
The investigation, conducted by the Sacramento Valley Internet Crimes Against Children Detectives (ICAC), began after a tip-off about 18 files of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) uploaded to an online service. According to the news agency BNO, citing a statement from the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, the detectives eventually found a total of 134 videos linked to the same account allegedly controlled by Bell.
A search warrant was executed at Bell’s residence, leading to his arrest and incarceration at the Sacramento County Main Jail. Bell’s bail has been set at $1 million, according to the online database of the jail’s inmates.
The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office stated that Bell’s arrest is the first case of possession of KI-generated child pornography in the county since a new law took effect on January 1.
A concerning cartoon created by Bell, titled “The Groomer” was posted on his X-account in 2022 and resurfaced on the social media platform after his arrest. The cartoon depicts an elephant-like figure illuminating a group of children in front of a mirror, with the word “BIGOTRY” tattooed on the person’s chest, reflecting on the children’s bodies.
Bell is known for his comics “Candorville” and “Rudy Park” which have been published in the Post and other US newspapers. In 2019, he became the first African American to win the Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartooning.