Jena 6 Mom Arrested, Charged With Contempt
by Stephen Largen - News Star (excerpt)

The mother of former Jena 6 defendant Mychal Bell has been arrested for contempt of court on a charge of failure to pay child support.

Melissa Bell, 39, 130 Bell Road, Jena, is being held at the Caldwell Parish Detention Center, where bond was not set Monday night.

Bell is being held at the Caldwell detention center because the LaSalle Parish Detention Center is used exclusively for men.

Mychal Bell was one of six black teenagers charged with attempted murder and conspiracy in connection with the beating of a white classmate at Jena High School in 2006.

Mychal Bell, the only one of the Jena 6 to have his case resolved, eventually pleaded guilty to battery in juvenile court and moved to Monroe. Bell was accused of shoplifting at a Pecanland Mall department store Dec. 24, and shot himself in the chest Dec. 29 as part of a self-described suicide attempt.