Man who sexually assaulted Chapman student sentenced to six years in prison

Dalante Jerome Bell, a 22-year-old Garden Grove resident who was arrested by the Orange Police Department Sept. 28, is sentenced to six years in state prison after being convicted of two felony sexual assault charges. The Panther Archives

Trigger warning: mentions of sexual assault

The man who was convicted March 30 of sexually assaulting a Chapman University student in September 2021 will spend six years in state prison.

According to the OC Sheriff Department’s inmate database, Bell has been held in custody at the Central Women’s Jail, which has been used since 2020 to quarantine incoming male inmates prior to placing them at a permanent facility. Bell was previously housed in the Theo Lacy Facility between the assault and the court verdict.

At this time it is unclear if Bell is still being held at the Central Women's Jail or if he has been transferred to a different permanent location.

Dalante Jerome Bell was convicted of two felony charges last month: assault with intent to commit sexual offense and sexual penetration with a foreign object. However, the assault with intent to commit sexual offense was dismissed April 22 during Bell’s sentencing hearing.

The freshman Chapman student had been talking on the phone to her boyfriend in the courtyard near Henley Hall when Bell approached and attacked her. Multiple Chapman students living in the nearby dorms heard the student’s screams as Bell knocked her to the ground.

The student — only referred to as Jane Doe — claimed that Bell penetrated her with his fingers over her pants, pushing into her vaginal area. Bell’s DNA was found on the crotch area of the students’ pants, which her legal representation pointed to as proof of the assault.

The Chapman student was able to thwart off her assailant and chase him away after she was assaulted.

“University campuses should be places of higher learning, not hunting grounds for sexual predators looking for a target,” Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer wrote in an April 22 statement. “Thankfully this young woman was able to bravely fight off her attacker. The Orange County District Attorney’s Office will not tolerate the sexual assault of anyone and he is being held accountable for his actions.”

Bell will also be required to register as a sex offender, according to reporting from KTLA.