Drake Bell has broken his silence after being reported missing and subsequently located by authorities.
The 36-year-old actor took to Twitter on Thursday to express his dismay at the widespread news that his family had reported him missing, and officials issued an alert saying he was missing and in danger.
“You leave your phone in the car and don’t answer it all night?” Bell wrote on Twitter, wearing a face with an accompanying tears of joy emoji.
The Newport Beach, California-born performer was reported missing by family before being found by police in Florida around 1 p.m. ET on Thursday.
The Nickelodeon alum ’caused concern’ among family before being reported missing – and found by police hours later, a source told USA weekly.
The latest: Drake Bell, 36, has broken his silence after being reported missing and subsequently located by authorities. Pictured in New York in 2019
He said, “Leave your phone in the car and don’t answer it tonight?” with a face with an accompanying tears of joy emoji
“There was some communication with relatives that was a concern, so they are concerned about him and are looking for him.”
The insider said some of his relatives didn’t even know he was in Florida, where his estranged wife Janet Von Schemling lives with their toddler son.
Bell was spotted out in public on Tuesday while traveling to SeaWorld in Orlando with his son.
A fan told TMZ that when he greeted the actor, he was “nice and gentle, but seemed okay.”
The Daytona Beach Police Department previously confirmed, “At this time, we can confirm that law enforcement is in contact and that Mr. Bell is safe.”
The alarming turn of events comes after years of erratic behavior, including multiple DUI arrests and pleading guilty to attempted endangerment charges [of] children and the distribution of substances harmful to young people, for which he received a probationary period of two years.
In January, Bell reportedly entered treatment for weeks after appearing to suck on a balloon in the front seat of his parked car for more than thirty minutes outside his home — with his son in the car.
Soon after, the star and his wife Von Schmeling, also an actress, separated, with the latter moving to Florida with their son Jeremy.
Bell was seen in public on Tuesday while traveling to Sea World in Orlando with his son. A fan told TMZ that when he greeted the actor, he was “nice and gentle, but seemed okay”
The former child star was then spotted running errands in his Los Angeles neighborhood on Friday, driving to a local vape shop.
He entered the store alone, wearing a black t-shirt and black pants with black sneakers, before re-emerging several minutes later with a shopping bag.
In December, DailyMail.com revealed exclusive photos of Bell, best known for his roles on Drake & Josh and The Amanda Show, inhaling inflated balloons in the front seat of his parked car outside his Los Angeles home.
Wearing a basketball hat and sunglasses, he watched him inflate and deflate the pink balloon for over half an hour.
The actor was later seen getting his sleeping young son out of a car seat in the back and taking him into the house.
It is unclear what, if any, was in the balloons.
The incident came as Bell, born Jared ‘Drake’ Bell, was serving a two-year probation for endangering a girl’s welfare when she was just 15.
Bell was sentenced to two years of probation and 200 hours of intercourse in July 2021 after pleading guilty to child endangerment charges.
Daytona Beach police said Bell was last seen driving a gray 2022 BMW near Mainland High School just before 9 p.m. Wednesday
Bell was sentenced to two years of probation and 200 hours of community service on child endangerment charges related to a girl who met him online and attended one of his Ohio concerts when she was 15 (pictured in his June 2021 mugshot)
Authorities said a 15-year-old girl attended a Bell concert in Cleveland in 2017 and contacted Toronto police in October 2018 about sexual assault.
Toronto authorities then forwarded their findings to the Cleveland Police Department, prompting an investigation. They found that Bell and the girl had “developed a relationship” online prior to the concert, with Bell sending the girl “inappropriate messages on social media.”
He was later charged with attempted child endangerment for “breaching his duty of care” and creating a risk of harm to the victim, Cuyahoga County Attorney General’s Office spokesman Tyler Sinclair explained at the time.
The victim claimed in her impact statement that she performed oral sex on the star.
“These are crimes that are unforgivable and unforgivable,” she said. They cannot be taken back. He was calculating, preying on me and sexually abusing me. He is a monster and a danger to children.
“I kindly ask you to send a strong message that these crimes are never okay, no matter who someone is.”
She added, “And he can give me that look all he wants, but he knows exactly what I’m talking about.”
He is the epitome of evil. I deserve better than to be used for his morbid desires, and my suffering used for his amusement. Jared Drake Bell is a pedophile and that’s his legacy.”
In response, Bell said, “I want to say today that I accept this plea because my conduct was wrong.”
He added: “I have taken this matter very, very seriously. I just want to apologize to her and anyone who may have been affected by my actions.”
Shortly after his sentencing, it was reported that the star and his wife Janet Von Schmeling (left) had ‘separated’ and were ‘on their way to divorce’
During his sentencing, his lawyer made it clear that he was not charged with the more serious crimes of sexual assault and pedophilia that the victim alleged in her statement.
Bell pleaded guilty to felony attempted child endangerment and a charge of distributing material harmful to young people.
But months later, he tried to downplay his belief in a puzzling Instagram video.
“Most of the news you’ve heard lately is completely false and wrong,” he said.
“I know this has moved very quickly for you, but for me it has been a thorough three-year investigation into every false claim that has been made.
And I’m not saying the claims are false, but the state of Ohio has proven the claims false.
“If these claims were remotely true, my situation would be very different. I wouldn’t be at home here with my wife and my son.’
He added, “But having said that, I’m not perfect and I make mistakes.
“I was replying to a fan whose age I didn’t know, but when I became aware of their age, all conversation and communication stopped.”
The I Know singer continued, “This person kept coming to shows and paying for meet and greets, not knowing this was the same person I was communicating with online, which is what I’m pleading guilty to.”
“These were reckless and irresponsible text messages. I want to make it clear that there was no sexual imagery, nothing physical between me and this person.”
Bell starred in Drake and Josh alongside Josh Peck, who played his stepbrother
Bell, left, also starred on The Amanda Show, a sketch-style show starring Amanda Bynes
He added, “I was not charged with anything physical. I was not accused of spreading her images or anything like that. This was strictly through text messages.
“And when I was offered a plea deal because of the reports, I felt it was the best way to get this over with quickly and for everyone involved to move forward. And that I can do what I love again, and that is making music for you.’
“I want to thank you, for, uh, everyone who saw through the lies and did the research and looked at my case and saw it for what it was instead of all that confusion in the media.”
He concluded: ‘Don’t immediately believe the media. It’s a lot of clickbait. Do your own research and come to your own conclusions. I want to thank everyone for staying with me. I love you and see you soon.’
The former child star was sentenced to four days in jail for drunk driving in 2015, which was his second DUI conviction in a six-year span.