Drake Bell Reported Missing, Considered 'Endangered'
By Sarah Tate
April 13, 2023
Drake Bell has been reported missing, according to Florida police.
The Drake & Josh actor, real name Jared Bell, is considered to be missing and endangered and officers fear for his safety, according to a notice from the Daytona Police Department. He was last seen Wednesday (April 12) around 9 p.m. near Mainland High School and he is likely traveling in a 2022 gray BMW. The department added that the actor's disappearance is a legitimate concern and not a joke like some people were thinking.
Anyone with information regarding his whereabouts or disappearance is encouraged to contact Daytona Beach Police at 386-671-5207.
** MISSING ** Officers are looking for Jared Bell, DOB 06/27/1986. He should be traveling in a 2022 grey BMW and his...
Posted by Daytona Beach Police Department on Thursday, April 13, 2023
The disgraced former Nickelodeon star has had trouble over the years, including filing for bankruptcy in 2014, being arrested for a DUI in 2016 and allegedly abusing a woman he had been in a relationship with, per TMZ.
In 2021, he pleaded guilty to attempted child endangerment and disseminated matter harmful to juveniles during a court case in Ohio. The victim, now an adult, said Bell began "grooming me when I was 12 years old." She claimed she started sharing personal information with the actor when she was 15 before he began speaking to her in a "blatantly sexual" way, causing her to become fearful and stressed.
Bell's attorney Ian Friedman disputed the victim's allegations, claiming that his client learned her age at a later time at which time he ended inappropriate conversations.
He was sentenced to two years of probation and 200 hours of community service.