Actor Drake Bell reported 'missing and endangered' in Florida
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Michael Tran/Getty Images Drake Bell
UPDATE: Police announced that Drake Bell was found safe on Thursday.
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Drake & Josh star and musician Drake Bell has been reported missing in Florida, the Daytona Beach Police Department has confirmed.
"Officers are looking for Jared Bell, DOB 06/27/1986. 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 just before 9 p.m.," reads a post on the DBPD's official social media page. "He is considered missing and endangered."
A follow-up comment from the page — which bears a verified blue checkmark — said the message is "a legitimate post from the Daytona Beach Police Department" and urged anyone with information to contact Detective Jayson Wallace at 386-671-5207 or at wallacejayson@dbpd.us.
EW has reached out to representatives for the DBPD as well as Bell's legal team for more information.
The 36-year-old actor — who starred with Josh Peck on Nickelodeon's Drake & Josh from 2004-2007 — was previously sentenced to two years probation after pleading guilty in a case involving child endangerment and disseminating harmful material to minors.
"I want to make clear that there were no sexual images, nothing physical between me and this individual. I was not charged with anything physical. I was not charged with disseminating of photographs or images or anything like that," Bell said in an Instagram post addressing the matter. "This is strictly over text messages. And 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 everyone involved to be able to move on, and for me to get back to doing what I love, and that's making music for you."
During his sentencing hearing, Bell's victim released a statement, saying, "He was calculating. He preyed on me and sexually abused me." The victim alleged that he sent explicit photos to her when she was 15 years old. "He is a monster and a danger to children," she added.
In 2020, an ex-girlfriend named Melissa Lingafelt (also known by her stage known, Jimi Ono) also accused Bell of abuse, which he denied.
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