Drake Bell is alive and is joking about his ‘disappearance.’
via EW:
“You leave your phone in the car and don’t answer for the night and this? ?,” the musician and former Nickelodeon star tweeted on Thursday afternoon.
Bell, 36, was found safe on Thursday after he was reported “missing and endangered” the day before, the Daytona Beach Police Department confirmed.
The Drake & Josh star, whose legal name is Jared Drake Bell, had last been spotted around the Mainland High School area around 9 p.m. local time on Wednesday.
The DBPD’s official social media page posted about Bell’s disappearance on Wednesday night before updating the post with information that the actor had been located: “At this time, we can confirm law enforcement officials are in contact and Mr. Bell is safe.”
In 2021, Bell was sentenced to two years probation after pleading guilty in a case involving child endangerment and disseminating harmful material to minors. He addressed the matter on Instagram at the time.
“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,” he wrote. “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.”
However, Bell’s accuser, who alleged that he sent explicit photos to her when she was 15 years old, released a statement at his sentencing hearing, saying, “He was calculating. He preyed on me and sexually abused me,” then added, “he is a monster and a danger to children.”
Bell previously denied abuse allegations from ex-girlfriend Melissa Lingafelt, who also goes by the stage name Jimi Ono.
Bell starred with Josh Peck on Drake & Josh from 2004-2007.
We think there’s a bit more to it than him leaving his phone behind.
