Sharks' Bell charged with felonies after Labor Day crash
SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Prosecutors charged San Jose Sharks forward Mark Bell with felony hit-and-run and driving under the influence Thursday, three months after an accident during the Labor Day weekend.
Bell's blood-alcohol level was "0.15 or more" when his car rear-ended a pickup truck waiting at a stop sign, according to a statement from the Santa Clara County district attorney's office. Bell, who will be arraigned Jan. 3, faces a maximum of three years and eight months in prison.
Bell hadn't yet played a game for the Sharks when police were called to the scene of the two-car accident in Milpitas, a town in the San Jose foothills.
A 2003 Toyota sedan hit a Datsun pickup, leaving the truck's 40-year-old driver with head injuries and cuts. Officers arrested Bell a short distance from the accident scene.
The Sharks acquired Bell in an offseason trade with the Chicago Blackhawks to play left wing on their top line with Joe Thornton and Jonathan Cheechoo. But the power forward has been a disappointment so far, scoring just five goals in 25 games while struggling with injuries.
