State: Gov.'s daughter charged with fraud

TALLAHASSEE -- Noelle Bush, the 24-year-old daughter of Gov. Jeb Bush, was arrested early Tuesday morning after police said she posed as a doctor to obtain a prescription drug used to treat anxiety.

The arrest shook the governor and his wife, Columba, who have acknowledged before that one of their three children had been involved with drugs, but had declined to say which one.

Noelle Bush

The Bushes have actively supported drug abuse programs throughout the state, and Mrs. Bush recently was in Washington promoting a campaign to prevent youth alcohol abuse.

People close to the state's first family have long been aware that Noelle Bush has spent time in residential drug treatment centers.

Her driving record included several traffic accidents but no charges related to drugs or alcohol. It also shows that she completed a routine substance abuse course required of all teen drivers in 1993.

The arrest was national news, billed along with the State of the Union on at least one TV network.

For the Bushes, it was a family crisis played out painfully in public.

The governor issued a written statement Tuesday morning expressing concern and seeking some privacy.

"Columba and I are deeply saddened over an incident that occurred last night involving our daughter Noelle," Bush said. "This is a very serious problem. Unfortunately, substance abuse is an issue confronting many families across our nation. We ask the public and the media to respect our family's privacy during this difficult time so that we can help our daughter."

Bush, appearing solemn and anguished during an unrelated news conference, said he would have no further public comment. But when asked how his daughter was doing, he said: "She's doing fine. It's a private matter. It's really hard to deal with. I just urge you to let us handle it as a private family matter."

Miss Bush was arrested in the drive-through of a Walgreens. Tallahassee police gave this account:

Pharmacist Carlos Zimmerman got a telephone call about 11 p.m. Monday from a woman who wanted to know if a prescription had been called in. Zimmerman checked the store's voice mail and found a message from a woman claiming to be Dr. Scidmore placing an order for Xanax without indicating an amount. He thought the order was suspicious, so he saved the voice mail.

When the woman called back about 20 minutes later, Zimmerman told her he had the order but not the amount. About 10 minutes later the store received another voice mail about the prescription, this time including the amount.

Zimmerman then called Dr. Scidmore's answering service and was told by a former colleague that Scidmore was moving and that the prescription was likely fraudulent. When the woman called again, Zimmerman told her the prescription would be ready in 40 minutes.

At 1:15 a.m., a woman who identified herself as Noelle Bush pulled into the drive-through on N Monroe Street in a white Volkswagen Beetle. Zimmerman called police, who arrived minutes later. After questioning her, police handcuffed Miss Bush and took her to jail. She was released about 5 a.m. on her own recognizance.

Miss Bush denied calling the drugstore, but Officer Bob Bascom said the shaky voice on the store's voice mail sounded like her. Police impounded the audiotape as evidence and said the number the call was made from belongs to Miss Bush at an apartment on Park Avenue, where she lives alone.

"Bush appeared very shaky during the interview, but calmed considerably after being placed under arrest," Bascom said.

Asked if there was anyone who would want to get her into trouble, Miss Bush answered "everyone."

Officer Mark E. Dent, called to the scene to back up Bascom while he was inside the pharmacy, said Miss Bush told him that someone at the pharmacy had called her a week ago to tell her that a prescription for Xanax was ready.

Miss Bush told them she was due to start a new job Tuesday morning at Infinity Software Co. in Tallahassee. Tom Lynch, chief executive officer at Infinity, said the job was an entry-level human resources administrative assistant position.

"Due to personal circumstances, she was unable to begin her job," Lynch said. "Infinity's job offer to Noelle still stands and will be waiting when she is available to return to the work force. My thoughts and prayers are with the Bush family."

She faces her first court appearance Thursday before Circuit Judge Tom Bateman. She will be represented by former statewide prosecutor Peter Antonacci, a veteran Tallahassee lawyer.

An art student, Miss Bush attended Miami-Dade Community College during the fall of 1998. She graduated from Tallahassee Community College in 2000 and attended Florida State University during the 2000-2001 academic year. She is not currently enrolled, the university registrar's office said. She lived for a time at the Governor's Mansion but generally avoided campaign appearances.

Since 1995, Miss Bush has received seven speeding tickets, been cited for five other traffic violations and has been involved in three automobile crashes, according to state motor vehicle records.

In 1995, a woman named Noelle Lucila Bush who has the same birth date as the governor's daughter was charged with shoplifting in Flagstaff, Ariz., according to police records. Deputy police Chief Robert White said the incident took place at a mall, but he did not have details because misdemeanor records are purged after five years.

Miss Bush is charged under a law that makes it a felony to attempt to obtain a prescription drug by fraudulent means. The crime carries a maximum penalty of five years in jail, but first-time offenders generally are sent to drug court.

Leon State Attorney Willie Meggs said the drug court program is tougher than regular probation because offenders have to go before a judge every two weeks, pass a urinalysis and attend meetings. If they test positive the judge can put them in jail. If they successfully complete the program and graduate, they can emerge without a criminal record.

The arrest of the governor's daughter received plenty of national attention. The NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw ran Noelle Bush's police mug shot three times and used her arrest to explore the illegal use of prescription drugs.

Inside Edition used her mug shot twice and compared it to a 1992 campaign appearance on the behalf of her grandfather, former President George Bush.

President Bush's twin daughters, Jenna and Barbara, have been charged with underage drinking. Last May, Jenna was charged with using someone else's identification to try to buy a margarita at a restaurant, and Barbara was charged with underage drinking.

The charges were dropped after the twins performed community service, attended alcohol awareness classes and paid $100 fines. A separate underage drinking charge in April against Jenna Bush went on her record as a conviction because of the restaurant violation. A judge fined her $500 and suspended her license.

- Information from Times wires and researchers Stephanie Scruggs and Kitty Bennett were used in this report.

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Lucy Morgan

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