By Miles Dilworth, Senior Reporter For Dailymail.Com and Sarah Sotoodeh and Adam S. Levy For Dailymail.com
02:09 21 Apr 2023, updated 03:10 21 Apr 2023
- Von Schmeling, 28, and the actor, 36, first split from each other in September of 2022
- The reason behind the breakup after four years of marriage was irreconcilable differences
- The couple are parents to one-year-old son Wyatt Bell, of whom Von Schmeling is seeking primary legal and physical custody.
Drake Bell’s wife Janet Von Schmeling has filed for divorce from the embattled actor a week after he resurfaced after he was reported missing.
Von Schmeling, 28, said in court documents reviewed by TMZ that she and the actor, 36, first broke up with each other in September of 2022.
Von Schmeling said the reason behind the breakup after four years of marriage was irreconcilable differences, the outlet reported.
The couple are parents to one-year-old son Wyatt Bell, for whom Von Schmeling is seeking primary legal and physical custody.
Von Schmeling said she was open to Bell accepting visitation with their son as part of a divorce settlement.
The news comes a week after the actor took to Twitter on April 13 to express his shock at the widespread news that his family had reported him missing, and officials issued an alert stating he was missing and endangered.
‘You left your phone in the car and didn’t answer for the night and this?’ Bell wrote on Twitter, with a tears of joy emoji on her face.
The Newport Beach, California-born performer was reported missing by family before being found by police around 1 pm ET April 13 in Florida.
The Nickelodeon alum ’caused concern’ to the family before she was reported missing – and was then found by police hours later, a source said. US Weekly.
The source said, ‘There has been some communication with family members which has caused concern so they are worried about him and looking for him.’
The insider said some of his relatives didn’t know he was in Florida where his estranged wife Von Schemling lives with their toddler son.
Bell was seen in public on Tuesday during a trip to SeaWorld in Orlando with her son.
A fan told TMZ that she congratulated the actor and that he was ‘nice and soft-spoken, but seemed fine.’
The Daytona Beach Police Department confirmed earlier: ‘At this time, we can confirm that law enforcement officials are in contact and that Mr. Bell.’
The alarming series of events comes after years of misconduct including multiple DUI arrests and guilty pleas to attempted endangerment charges. [of] children and disseminating material harmful to minors for which he received two years probation.
In January, Bell reportedly entered treatment weeks after he appeared to be sucking 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 her husband Von Schmeling, also an actress, separated and the latter moved to Florida with their son Jeremy.
The former child star was spotted on Friday running around her Los Angeles neighborhood, driving by a local vape shop.
He entered the store alone, wearing a black t-shirt and black pants with black sneakers, before exiting a few minutes later with a shopping bag.
In December, DailyMail.com revealed exclusive photos of Bell, known for her roles on Drake & Josh and The Amanda Show, blowing up inflated balloons on the front seat of her parked car outside her home in Los Angeles.
Wearing a basketball hat and a pair of sunglasses, he was seen inflating and beating a pink balloon for over half an hour.
The actor was later seen taking his sleeping son out of a back seat and taking him home. It is unclear what, if any, substance is inside the balloons.
The incident comes as Bell, who was born Jared ‘Drake’ Bell, served two years of probation for endangering the welfare of a girl when he was just 15.
Bell was sentenced in July 2021 to two years of probation and 200 hours of community service after pleading guilty to child endangerment charges.
Authorities say a 15-year-old girl attended one of Bell’s concerts in Cleveland in 2017 and contacted Toronto police in October 2018 about being sexually assaulted.
Toronto authorities forwarded its findings to Cleveland police, prompting an investigation. They found that Bell and the woman had ‘developed a relationship’ online before the concert, with Bell sending the woman ‘inappropriate messages on social media.’
He was later charged with attempted child endangerment because he ‘violated his duty of care’ and created a risk of injury for the victim, Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office spokesman Tyler Sinclair explained at the time.
The victim insisted in her impact statement that she performed oral sex on the hero.
‘These are crimes that are unforgivable and unforgivable,’ he said. They can’t be returned. He was calculating, he preyed on me and abused me. He is a monster and a danger to children.
He added, ‘I kindly ask you to send a strong message that these crimes are never okay, no matter who the person is.’
‘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 sick desires, and for my suffering to be used for his entertainment. Jared Drake Bell was a pedophile and that is his legacy.’
In response, Bell said: ‘I just want to say now that I accept this plea because my behavior was wrong.’
He added: ‘I take this matter very seriously. I just want to apologize to him and anyone who may have been affected by my actions.’
During his sentencing, his lawyer clarified that he was not charged with the more serious crimes of sexual assault and pedophilia that the victim declared in her impact statement.
Bell pleaded guilty to felony attempted child endangerment and a misdemeanor charge of disseminating material harmful to minors.
But a few months later, he tried to downplay his belief in a cryptic Instagram video.
‘Most of the news you’ve heard lately is completely wrong and wrong,’ he said.
‘I know it moved very quickly for you, but for me, it was a three-year, thorough investigation into every false claim made. And, I’m not the one telling you the claims are false, but the state of Ohio has proven the claims to be false.
‘If these claims were remotely true, my situation would be very different. I’m not going to be here at home with my wife and my child.’
He added: ‘But that being said, I’m not perfect, and I make mistakes.
‘I responded to a fan, whose age I don’t know, but when I found out their age, all conversation and communication stopped.’
The I Know singer continued: ‘This individual kept coming to shows and paying for meet and greets, while I had no idea that this was the same person I was talking to online, and that’s what I admit .
‘These are reckless and irresponsible text messages. I want to make it clear that there are no sexual images, nothing physical between me and this individual.’
He added: ‘I wasn’t charged with anything physical. I am not charged with disseminating his images or anything like that. This is strictly on text messages.
‘And when I was presented with a plea deal, because of the messages, I felt it was the best way to get this over with quickly, and for everyone involved to be able to move on. And so I can get back to doing what I love, and that’s making music for you.’
‘I want to thank you, for um, everyone who saw through the lies and did the research and looked into my case and saw it for what it was instead of all this media confusion.’
He concluded: ‘Don’t believe the media right away. Too much clickbait. Do your own research and draw your own conclusions. I just want to thank everyone who stayed by my side. I love you and we’ll see each other again.’
The former child star was sentenced to four days in jail in 2015 for driving while intoxicated, his second DUI conviction in a six-year period.
