UPDATE: April 13, 2 p.m. EST ― Drake Bell has been found safe, the Daytona Beach Police Department said in a Facebook post on Thursday afternoon.
“We can confirm law enforcement officials are in contact and Mr. Bell is safe,” the Facebook post read.
Former child star Drake Bell is “considered missing and endangered” in Florida, according to the Daytona Beach Police Department.
The department posted a notice on social media Thursday morning saying that the “Drake & Josh” star was last seen Wednesday night near Mainland High School just before 9 p.m. in a 2022 grey BMW.
HuffPost contacted Bell’s representatives for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.
Police spokesperson Carrie McCallister told The Associated Press on Thursday that the agency couldn’t release further information, since it concerned an active investigation.
Bell became a teen star in the early part of the century thanks to “Drake & Josh,” a Nickelodeon series that also starred Josh Peck from 2004 until 2007 and was followed by two movies.
Although Bell has worked as a voice actor and launched a music career since the show ended, he was in the spotlight again in June 2021, when he pleaded guilty to felony attempted child endangerment and a misdemeanor charge of disseminating matter harmful to juveniles.
The charge stemmed from an incident with an unidentified fan in Ohio, who accused Bell of grooming her since she was 12 and sexually abusing her when she was 15.
A Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office spokesperson said Bell had sent “inappropriate social media messages” to his accuser.
He was allowed to serve his probation and 200 hours of community service in California, according to the AP.
Anyone with information regarding Bell’s whereabouts is asked to contact Detective Jayson Wallace at 386-671-5207 or wallacejayson@dbpd.us.
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