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Shortly after his disappearance caused a media stir, Nickelodeon star, Drake Bell, broke his silence on his whereabouts and why they thought him missing. The former child star made the news after the Daytona Beach Police Department shared a post on Facebook reporting him missing. He reappeared hours later with authorities confirming his safety.
Drake Bell’s Disappearance
The Daytona Beach Police Department on Wednesday, April 13, circulated a photo of the Nickelodeon star Drake Bell and his date of birth, tagging him as missing. Per the post, the Drake & Josh actor was last seen driving his 2022 grey BMW in the area of Mailand High School just before 9 p.m. on Wednesday.
Officers further revealed they considered him missing and endangered, imploring the public to assist in locating him. In an updated post, the Daytona Beach Police Department confirmed the post was legitimate. They urged anyone with information about Drake’s whereabouts to contact Detective Wallace at the phone number provided. The information left many of Drake’s fans worried, as they flooded the comment section with prayers, hoping he emerges unharmed.
His Reemergence Sparked Outrage
At about 1:26 p.m. on Thursday, April 13, authorities confirmed the actor was safe and in contact with them. The Daytona Beach Police Department shared the updated info on Facebook just hours after announcing Drake Bell’s disappearance. It read:
“At this time, we can confirm law enforcement officials are in contact and Mr. Bell is safe.”
Following the news of his safety, most fans expressed relief that he was finally found. However, many appeared disappointed, citing the actor’s past criminal charges involving minors. Most netizens raised concerns that he was found near a school, given the child endangerment charges tainting his records. One comment read:
“I’m glad to hear he’s safe when our children aren’t safe around him.”
Another commented:
“Was wondering the same thing. I mean his last known location was near a high school.”
Another comment read:
“Hopefully [he] and his process friends are jumping off a bridge. Why is he getting priority over a missing teenage girl? Oh that’s cause you sell those?”
As the heated comments kept pouring in, the Daytona Beach police tried to differentiate between Drake Bell’s disappearance and his past child endangerment charges involving a high schooler, writing:
“No connection between the two cases, they are believed to be unrelated.”
Despite the clarification, many insisted authorities looked into the disappearance near a school in connection with his child endangerment history.
Drake Bell Breaks Silence On His Disappearance
Following the confirmation of his whereabouts, Drake Bell took to Twitter to address the media frenzy resulting from his disappearance. He tweeted:
“You leave your phone in the car and don’t answer for the night and this?”
https://twitter.com/DrakeBell/status/1646637269682380803?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1646637269682380803%7Ctwgr%5Edacb4e7cbec21ca3ea2502683f8c006479895e3b%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com%2Fentertainment%2Fdrake-bell-breaks-silence-online-after-being-reported-missing-endangered
Although his comments serve as the final confirmation that he was safe and not in danger, as earlier reported, many wondered why the authorities initially thought him endangered. With no response forthcoming at this time, the most logical explanation remains the public outrage over his ties with criminal charges involving a minor.
The Missing Person Case Resurrected Ghosts From His Past
The former child star Drake Bell has had several run-ins with the law since his days as a Nickelodeon heartthrob. In 2016, he faced legal action for driving under the influence of alcohol. Drake’s ex-partner Melissa Lingafelt accused him of verbal and physical abuse in 2020, a claim he has continuously denied.
Barely a year later, Drake pleaded guilty to two charges involving a minor in 2021. He also faced charges of one felony count of attempted child endangerment and a misdemeanor charge of disseminating material harmful to minors.
Ultimately, the actor was sentenced to two years probation. He also received 200 hours of community service in California, plus a ban from having any form of communication with his alleged victim. Despite these offenses, Drake is yet to become a registered sex offender. The court would review his status upon completion of his ongoing probation.