Former Drake & Josh star Drake Bell has been found safe after being reported missing. "We can confirm law enforcement officials are in contact and Mr. Bell is safe," a representative for the Daytona Beach Police told Page Six on Thursday. Police had released an alert expressing concern for the former actor (whose legal name is Jared Bell) when he hadn't been seen or heard from since Wednesday night.
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The police posted a statement to the department's Facebook page.
On Thursday afternoon, Daytona Beach Police Department shared a missing persons statement, revealing that it was "looking for Jared Bell, DOB 06/27/1986." His last known location was near Mainland High School, and at the time, he was driving a gray 2022 BMW.
"He is considered missing and endangered," the shocking post continued.
Fans filled the comments section in disbelief, asking if this was really a legitimate post by police.
The post created so many questions about the validity of the statement that police were forced to reiterate that they were serious about their concern for the former Nickelodeon star's well-being. After fans realized it was for real, they began sharing their own worries about the 36-year-old, who has a young son.
People were uneasy about the mention of a high school given Drake's past.
Drake made headlines in 2021 after he was charged with attempted child endangerment when a girl came forward to accuse him of being sexually inappropriate with her when she was 15. He was officially accused of having "violated his duty of care and, in doing so, created a risk of harm to the victim," CNN reported at the time.
He was later sentenced to two years of probation and 200 hours of community service.
"Is he even allowed near a high school?" one person asked in reference to the confusion over whether Drake was required to register as a sex offender after his conviction. (He was not.)
Another person worried about the safety of the students at the school. "Since he was near a high school shouldn't you do a head count at the high school and make sure no teens are missing?" the person asked.
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Police did not indicate there was any reason for the public to be worried.
In January, Page Six reported that Drake and his wife, Janet Von Schmeling, had separated, and Drake was potentially going to enter into a rehabilitation facility after being spotted huffing balloons.
It's possible that Drake's disappearance had to do with what was going on in his personal life and nothing more, but hopefully police will know more soon now that he's been located.
