Press Release Marion County Sheriff’s Office
On March 24, 2025, 44-year-old Christopher Chell (W/M, DOB: 11/13/1977) was extradited to the Marion County Jail from Alachua County on a Marion County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) warrant for Lewd or Lascivious Molestation of a Victim under 12 years of age.
On February 10, 2025, the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) responded to a report of a sexual battery. ACSO deputies made contact with a juvenile victim, who disclosed that in mid to late October 2022, Chell had given him a ride home from a flag football game. During the ride home, Chell reached over, placed his hands inside the victim’s shorts, and molested the victim’s genitalia.
During the investigation, ACSO detectives determined that the crime had been committed in Marion County due to the location of the flag football game. MCSO Detective Paxton then took over the investigation. MCSO Detective Paxton learned from ACSO detectives that Chell had been arrested in 2024 by the Gainesville Police Department (GPD) for multiple counts of lewd or lascivious molestation, which resulted in Chell entering a nolo contendere plea to Authority Figure Soliciting/Engaging in a Romantic Relationship and Battery, Second or Subsequent Offense. He was sentenced in Alachua County to 60 months of probation.
Based on the information gathered during the investigation and Chell’s established criminal history, detectives believe he may have victimized other children. Anyone with information about other potential victims is asked to contact Detective Paxton at (352) 368-3534.
Chell received a $10,000 bond and has since been released on bond.
