Former Nickelodeon star Drake Bell responded to Thursday’s report and buzz of his being missing with a lighthearted tweet.
“You leave your phone in the car and don’t answer for the night and this?” he wrote on Twitter.
The Daytona Beach Police reported Thursday morning that Bell hadn’t been seen in 24 hours, and that he was considered “missing and endangered.” The authorities confirmed that the post came from the police.
“He should be traveling in a 2022 grey BMW and his last known location is potentially the area of Mainland High School on 4/12/2023,” according to the post. “He is considered missing and endangered.”
Later Thursday, they came out with the update that “At this time we can confirm law enforcement officials are in contact and Mr. Bell is safe.”
The “Drake and Josh” star, whose legal name is Jared Drake Bell, pled guilty to felony attempted child endangerment as well as disseminating matter harmful to juveniles, a misdemeanor, receiving a sentence to two years of probation and 200 hours of community service. He was also required to register as a sex offender.
Bell took to Instagram a few months later to address the situation.
“I know that this has moved very quickly for you, but for me, it’s been a three-year, thorough investigation into every false claim that has been made,” Bell said at the time. “And, it’s not me telling you that the claims are false, but the state of Ohio has proven the claims to be false. If these claims were remotely true, my situation would be very different. I would not be here at home with my wife and with my son. But that being said, I am not perfect, and I make mistakes.”
“When I was presented with a plea deal because of the messages, I felt that it was the best way to get this over quickly and for everybody involved to be able to move on and for me to get back to doing what I love.”