April 13 saw Drake Bell reported missing and then promptly found at SeaWorld. The whole incident, which all in all lasted about two-and-a-half hours on Thursday morning, sent the internet into a frenzy. This was exacerbated by the initial police report stating that Bell was "endangered." The report, released around 7am on Thursday, said Bell had last been seen 10 hours previously in the Daytona Highlands neighborhood of Daytona Beach.
Bell is of course no stranger to law enforcement. The former child star released finished a two-year probation for child endangerment. He also received a DUI arrest in 2015. Beyond those incidents, allegations of inappropriate conduct with a minor and abuse of his former partner have also arisen.
Bell Takes To Twitter About Ordeal
In a tweet Thursday evening, Bell addressed the day's situation. "You leave your phone in the car and don't answer for the night and this?" read the response from the Drake & Josh star. The tweet has received over 28,000 likes, with many people responding a similarly jovial fashion. According to the police report on Thursday morning, Bell had last been seen near US Route 92 in Daytona Beach around 9pm Wednesday night. According to Bell, he simply left his phone in his car. Presumably this means that Bell's car was at his home before he left for SeaWorld the following morning. SeaWorld Orlando is about a 70-minute drive from Bell's last reported location. TMZ placed him at SeaWorld at 9:34am, meaning Bell had arrived with his son soon after the park opened.
However, a number of questions still remain about the incident. With Drake arriving at SeaWorld Orlando around 9am Thursday morning with his son, why did no one report his son missing? Who filed the original report and why was the report filed before the traditional 24-hour time limit? And perhaps most importantly, why did the original report specify that Bell was endangered? While it is good to know Bell is safe and in good spirits about the whole thing, many things about the incident just don't add up. However, regardless of the outstanding questions, the important thing is that Bell is safe.
[via]