Woman Charged in Cheer Coach Stun Gun Attack Not Guilty

Staff and Wire Reports

OKLAHOMA CITY -- The woman accused of orchestrating a stun gun attack on a Putnam City North High School cheerleading sponsor was found not guilty Thursday.

Julie Ann Bell was on trial for felony charges of conspiracy and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. If convicted, Bell could have faced up to 20 years in prison.

Forty-year-old Bell testified on Thursday that she was shocked to learn her friend, LeShawn Cathlene Fisher, had shot Bethany Lorenz with a stun gun.

Bell also told jurors she reacted poorly to the news and told her daughter to claim she didn't know Fisher, even though Bell and Fisher were close friends.

"For the past year and a half, she's lived under a cloud of blame for something that she didn't do," said Julie Ann Bell's attorney Mark Bailey. "Today she was vindicated and you can only imagine how that would feel. She's overjoyed."

Prosecutors contended Fisher implicated Bell, but Fisher testified this week she acted alone.

"We're disappointed but we very much believe in the jury system around here. The jury has spoken and we respect their verdict," said Oklahoma County Assistant District Attorney Scott Rowland.

While Bell said she is happy with the verdict, she has lost her relationship with her daughter. Bell's daughter even testified against her mother this week.

Fisher pleaded guilty to the attack. She will be sentenced next week.