A New Jersey man who was hiding Rosie O’Donnell’s daughter has been arrested on charges of endangering the welfare of a child and distribution of obscenity during the course of an online conversation. On O'Donnell's request, investigators looked into communication between Steven M. Sheerer, 25, and O'Donnell's 17-year-old daughter Chelsea and found “evidence of inappropriate communications over the last several weeks” between the two.
Sheerer’s computer and hard drives were seized as he was taken into custody. He has been jailed on a $40,000 cash bail and barred from contacting Chelsea or anyone else in the O’Donnell family.
The actress posted a plea on social media last week when Chelsea went missing. During the following days, Ocean County law enforcement officials were barred from entering Sheerer’s home to look for the teenager. The search only ended when Chelsea voluntarily showed up at a local police station 120 miles away from her Nyack home.
Rosie’s spokesperson, Cindi Berger, spoke to the Associated Press about Sheerer’s arrest over the weekend, saying, "He was involved with a minor, and Rosie's concern has been and always will be the health, safety and well-being of her daughter. Rosie is profoundly appreciative for the work the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office has done and the diligence of the local police."
