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Son of DeSoto County pastor charged with sex offense

By Mike Suriani Nov 5, 2025 | 9:11 AM

HERNANDO, Miss. — The teenage son of a Desoto County preacher is facing troubling accusations.

Paxton Bell, 19, has been charged with Attempt to Commit an Offense and Fondling and is out on bond after appearing in Desoto County Justice Court.

Bell is the son of the pastor of Crosspointe Church in Olive Branch. Pastor Doug Bell declined Tuesday to comment on his son’s arrest.

According to the incident report filed Oct. 27, a Desoto County School Resource Officer listed the report address as 2605 Highway 305 South, which is the address of Lewisburg Middle School.

The highly redacted report referred to someone being “involved in sexual activity with a 19 year old male identified as Paxton Bell” but at the time the SRO did not have “any information regarding when and where the alleged sexual activity occurred.”

Bell was taken into custody Oct. 30, at which time the report states Bell’s black iPhone with case was seized.

Desoto County Schools issued this statement to WREG:

“The individual who was arrested is not a student. Although the complaint was reported to a deputy who serves as a school resource officer, the DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed that the arrest was not related to any DeSoto County Schools employees and not related to any activity on campus.”