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Drake Bell insists he’d just left his mobile phone in the car for the night after police found him “safe” and “unharmed”.
The former Nickelodeon actor had been reported missing by Daytona Beach Police on Thursday (13.04.23), who said on Facebook the ‘Drake and Josh’ star was also “endangered”.
But hours later, they told Page Six: “We can confirm law enforcement officials are in contact and Mr Bell is safe.”
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office added that Drake – whose first TV appearance was aged five on ‘Home Improvement’ – had been found in their jurisdiction “unharmed” at around 11.30am, and that deputies “took action” to ensure he received a “mental health evaluation.”
And the 36-year-old star has now broken his silence and claimed he was safe but unreachable.
He tweeted: “You leave your phone in the car and don’t answer for the night and this?”
Drake had last been seen just before 9pm on Wednesday near Mainland High School in Daytona Beach, Florida, a day after he had enjoyed a day at SeaWorld, Orlando, with his young son, who he has with his estranged wife, Janet Von Schmeling.
The police statement on Facebook read: “MISSING Officers are looking for Jared Bell, DOB 06/27/1986.
“He should be travelling in a 2022 grey BMW and his last known location is potentially the area of Mainland High School on 4/12/2023 just before 9p.m. He is considered missing and endangered.”
When fans asked if it was a hoax, police clarified: “For those asking, this is a legitimate post from the Daytona Beach Police Department.”
Drake was seen in December sucking from balloons in his car while in a parking lot, while on two-year probation at the time, stemming from two criminal charges he pleaded guilty to in 2021 for child endangerment and a disseminating matter harmful to juveniles.
Prosecutors claimed the actor had met a girl who attended one of his concerts in Cleveland in 2017 and sent her “inappropriate social media messages.”
He was also charged with driving under the influence in 2015.
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