'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAMDAwMDAwQEBAQFBQUFBQcHBgYHBwsICQgJCAsRCwwLCwwLEQ8SDw4PEg8bFRMTFRsfGhkaHyYiIiYwLTA+PlQBAwMDAwMDBAQEBAUFBQUFBwcGBgcHCwgJCAkICxELDAsLDAsRDxIPDg8SDxsVExMVGx8aGRofJiIiJjAtMD4+VP/AABEIAAUACgMBIgACEQEDEQH/xABkAAEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABgcQAAIBAwQDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAECAwAFEQQGEjIHITEBAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAcIEQACAgIBBQAAAAAAAAAAAAABAgMRAAQxBQYHQbH/2gAMAwEAAhEDEQA/ANRufiXblts93vaDnqptTMZldcxyL2HJSe4J7VAq08SiNZThBxGRk4Hr6aUo07ouDbgijJCLAtC7r1lG+J3bY6Lszy00jbLAsQOOfpz/2Q=='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Florida’s Daytona Police Department issued a statement via Facebook, deeming former Nickelodeon star Drake Bell as missing and endangered on Thursday, April 13, 2023. The police notified the public about the actor’s disappearance as well as the circumstances surrounding it.
They shared a photo of Bell in a baseball hat and black-rimmed glasses. According to the message, Drake Bell was last seen on April 12 just before 9 pm, driving a 2022 gray BMW near the area of Mainland High School. Police stated:
“He is considered missing and endangered.”
The missing and endangered person alert is usually issued by the authorities through social media websites or newscasts to notify the public that a person is believed to be in danger due to certain reasons and needs immediate assistance to return to safety.
Bell is best known for the Nickelodeon sitcom Drake and Josh. He was also the voice actor for Timmy Turner in the TV movie A Fairly Odd Movie: Grow Up, Timmy Turner! and its two sequels.
In 2022, Drake Bell was sentenced to 200 hours of community service and two-year probation after he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of disseminating matter harmful to juveniles and a felony attempted child endangerment.
What is a missing and endangered person alert?
While missing person alerts are quite common, missing and endangered person alerts are often seen on newscasts and social media. The Missing and Endangered Person’s Advisory (MEPA) is used to track missing children, adults, runaways, and children involved in custody disputes.
However, the advisory comes with an expiry limit of 24 hours from its issuing time. Even if the person has not been found, the MEPA will expire. Although it might seem confusing as to when the MEPA expires, whether anyone is still looking for the missing person or not.
According to Lieutenant Missoula County Sheriff’s Office’s Lieutenant Detective Robert Kennedy:
“It can be extended by the investigating officer or canceled or updated. The reason for that, the info is out there, if we have anything different, we do an update.”
Drake Bell's criminal charges explored amidst Dayton police issuing a missing and endangered alert for the actor
The charges against Bell were generated from an incident that took place in December 2017 between an 18-year-old girl and a 31-year-old Drake Bell. According to police at the time, the two met after months of talking on social media, and their meetings were, at times, s**ual in nature.
In 2018, the then-19-year-old woman reported Bell to the police and alleged that the actor had been grooming her since she was 12. During the trial, where the woman testified via Zoom, she called Drake:
“An epitome of evil”.
She further claimed that their conversations online became “blatantly s**ual” after she turned 15. The woman added that the two of them exchanged explicit photos and Bell s**ually abused her when she was still a minor. She concluded her statement by saying:
“Jared Drake Bell is a p**dophile and that is his legacy.”
However, Drake Bell’s lawyers disputed the claims of s**ual abuse and explicit pictures being exchanged between the pair, and claimed that there was no evidence.
While delivering Bell’s sentence, Ohio judge Timothy McCormick said that the actor’s celebrity status and position let him nurture the relationship with the minor, and he was able to gain access to her. Drake Bell accepted the plea and admitted that his conduct was wrong. He added:
“I’m sorry that the victim was harmed in any way, but that was obviously not my intention. I have taken this matter very, very seriously. And again, I just want to apologise to her and anyone else who may have been affected by my actions.”
In 2015, the actor was arrested for driving under the influence of a substance. His bail was set at $20,000. He then spent four days in jail after pleading no contest to a misdemeanor. He faced another accusation of alleged abuse by a woman with whom he had a five-year relationship. Bell also went bankrupt back in 2014.
Although Dayton police have not revealed the exact reason why they issued a MEPA for Drake Bell, it was reported that they were worried about the actor's safety and considered that his life might be in danger. Anyone with information about the 36-year-old actor is requested to contact Detective Jayson Wallace at 386-671-5207.
