CONOVER, N.C. (WHKY) – A 56-year-old Conover man is facing felony charges involving an alleged sex offense and sex-offender registration. Steven Lee Bell of East Ridge Drive was arrested Tuesday (September 22) by the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office and charged with unlawful online conduct by a high-risk sex offender and failure to register as a sex offender.

Bell is a sex offender as a result of a conviction in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania for attempted rape and aggravated indecent assault. Bell received five to ten years in prison for the attempted rape and four to eight years for the indecent assault.

Bell was jailed in the Catawba County Detention Facility under $150,000 bond. A Wednesday (September 23) District Court date was scheduled.