Drake Bell Located; Police Say He “Is Safe” After Being Reported “Missing And Endangered” – Update

Greg Evans
Updated ·2 min read
1
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

UPDATED, 10:46 AM: Police in Florida report that the department is in contact with actor Drake Bell, who “is safe.”

“At this time, we can confirm law enforcement officials are in contact and Mr. Bell is safe,” the Daytona Beach Police Department posted on Facebook shortly before 1:30 p.m. ET.

More from Deadline

UPDATED, 8:23 AM: Bell, the former co-star of Nickelodeon’s Drake & Josh, was reported by police earlier today to be “missing and endangered” in Daytona Beach.

According to Facebook message posted by the Daytona Beach Police Department, Bell, 36 — referred to by his legal name Jared Bell — was last seen traveling in a gray 2022 BMW in “the area of Mainland High School on 4/12/2023 just before 9 p.m.”

Police are asking the public to provide any information on Bell’s whereabouts by contacting Daytona Beach Police.

Missing and endangered typically describes a person believed to be in danger because of age, health, mental or physical disability, in combination with environmental or weather conditions, or is believed to be unable to return to safety without assistance.

The Daytona Beach police have not explained how or why Bell was considered endangered.

Bell, who co-starred with Josh Peck in the popular Nickelodeon series for four seasons from 2004-07, made headlines in 2021 when he was sentenced to two years’ probation and community service in after pleading guilty to charges stemming from his sexually explicit online conduct in 2017 with an underage fan. Bell later said he did not know the age of the fan at the time of their virtual communication and that “all conversation and communication stopped” when he became aware.

“I responded to a fan whose age I didn’t know,” he said on Instagram after his sentencing. “When I became aware of their age, all conversation and communication stopped.” He added that the fan “continued to come to shows and pay for meet and greets” and that he did not know that the person he met on those occasions was the same one he had ceased communicating with online.

Best of Deadline

Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Click here to read the full article.