Steven Sheerer, the man found with Rosie O'Donnell's 17-year-old daughter Chelsea last week after she disappeared for days, was arrested Friday at his New Jersey home.
According to the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office, Sheerer, 25, was charged with third degree endangering the welfare of a child and third degree distribution of obscenity to a minor. If convicted, both counts each carry a potential penalty of up to 5 years in state prison.
Chelsea was reunited with her mother Rosie on Tuesday, and a police spokesman
told E! News that it appeared Chelsea was with Sheerer voluntarily.
Previous to that, she was last seen at her family's home in Rockland County, New York on Tuesday, Aug. 11. Her family contacted police the following Sunday.
Police then "retrieved the 17-year-old victim's cell phone with consent from the victim's mother" and found "evidence of inappropriate communications over the last several weeks between Sheerer and the minor."
Police executed an arrest warrant and search warrant at Sheerer's home in Barnegat Light on Friday.
Sheerer is being held in Ocean County Jail on a $40,000 bond. The court has also stipulated no contact with the victim or her family, as per Nicole's Law.
While there was no evidence of drug use when Chelsea was found, Sheerer has been arrested on multiple offenses since 2012, including driving while intoxicated, heroin possession, and disorderly conduct.
"Rosie is profoundly appreciative for the work the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office has done and the diligence of the local police," said spokeswoman Cindi Berger,
the New York Daily News reported.
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