Former Nickelodeon star, Drake Bell, who played one of the lead roles in Drake & Josh, has been reported as missing and endangered. However, the Daytona Beach Police Department confirmed that he is now “safe” and that law enforcement officials have made contact with him.
Drake Bell reported missing
The Daytona Beach Police Department posted about Jared (real name Bell) on their official Facebook page.
He was last seen driving his 2022 gray BMW near Mainland High School on Wednesday before 9 p.m.
The post also included a photo of Bell wearing black-framed glasses and a baseball cap.
Bell’s attorney representative told Fox News Digital that he has “no comment at this time.”
Bell has faced a string of legal troubles in the past, including an arrest for driving under the influence in 2016.
More recently, in 2021, he pleaded guilty to two charges involving a minor in Ohio.
The child star was charged with one count of felony attempted child endangerment and a misdemeanor charge of disseminating matter harmful to juveniles.
Bell was sentenced to two years probation, as well as 200 hours of community service in California.
Additionally, he cannot communication with the victim. After probation, the judge said Bell’s sex offender status would be reviewed.
Drake Bell’s response to the allegations
Drake Bell acknowledged the “mistakes” he had made in an Instagram video after pleading guilty, but he claimed that some of the rumors about him were not true.
He alleged that it was “reckless and irresponsible text messages” exchanged with a fan for which he took a plea deal.
In 2020, Bell was accused of verbal and physical abuse by his ex-girlfriend, Melissa Lingafelt, in a since-deleted TikTok video.
Lingafelt alleged that the abuse began when she moved in with the actor at 16. They were in a relationship from August 2006 to February 2009.
She described the verbal abuse as “the worst” someone could “ever imagine” and claimed that it later turned physical.
Bell responded via a representative to Variety, saying that he never abused his ex-girlfriend or did so many of the other things Melissa falsely claimed in her TikTok video.
He added that they both called each other terrible names when their relationship ended but that was it.
He also claimed that Melissa reached out to him last year to ask for financial support, implying that her allegations might be a quest for money or attention.
Bell has been married to Janet Von Schmeling since 2018, and they have one son together.
While the police have confirmed that Bell is “safe,” they have not provided any further details on his current location or well-being.