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Reluctant treatment center witnesses have delayed a police investigation.
By LUCY MORGAN, Times Tallahassee Bureau Chief
© St. Petersburg Times, published September 14, 2002
TALLAHASSEE -- A court hearing for Gov. Jeb Bush's daughter, Noelle, was postponed Friday while Orlando police complete an investigation into reports that a tiny rock of crack cocaine was found in her shoe.
The rock was found Monday by the staff at a drug treatment center where the governor's 25-year-old daughter is living. She was admitted to the Center for Drug Free Living in January after being arrested in Tallahassee for trying to use a fraudulent prescription for the drug Xanax.
Four employees of the center have refused to provide police with sworn statements about the discovery of what appeared to be a piece of crack cocaine, which weighed 0.02 grams.
Police would not say whether Noelle Bush was wearing the shoe at the time.
Attorney Carlos Burruezo, who represents the center, said federal law forbids employees from discussing confidential information about the treatment of clients or patients. But police are threatening to order staffers before a judge to force them to testify.
Burruezo and Peter Antonacci, the Tallahassee attorney who represents Noelle Bush, questioned the way the investigation has been handled.
An anonymous caller told police Monday night that the staff had caught the governor's daughter with drugs. Six police cruisers ultimately answered the call and attempted to take statements from the center's staff.
"I think it is rather aggressive," Burruezo said. "It is a very sad situation. There ought to be some respect for what the center does and her recovery process. It's disconcerting for all treatment centers and could have consequences in any center's ability to provide treatment."
Burruezo said he found it strange that six police cruisers would respond to the anonymous call. Ordinarily, patients caught breaking the rules are taken before a judge instead of having police investigate.
"They are going after her because of who she is," Antonacci said. "They are expending enormous amounts of police resources to get to the bottom of two-tenths of a gram of cocaine."
Antonacci, a former prosecutor, said he thinks Orlando officials are trying to avoid the appearance of preferential treatment by singling her out for special prosecution.
Circuit Judge Reginald Whitehead signed an order postponing Noelle Bush's court appearance Friday, but said she will be brought before him once the investigation is over. The judge could send her to jail, or toss her out of the treatment program. If thrown out, she would have to return to Tallahassee to face the felony drug charge filed in January.
In his order, Whitehead said Bush will remain in the drug treatment program until the investigation is completed.
In July, the same judge sent her to jail for three days after the center's treatment staff found her with a prescription drug.
Orlando police said they expect to complete a report next week.
Sgt. Orlando Rolon acknowledged that the department may have a problem proving who had possession of the drug.
"We have not arrested anyone," Rolon said. "We have not said we will arrest anyone. It's the job of the investigator to look into all of the facts and determine if it we have a violation of the law."
Asked about reports that six police cruisers converged on the center, Rolon said the original officer dispatched had to call a supervisor with a test kit to perform a field test on the drug.
Why were so many police cars needed?
"Law enforcement officers are by nature always curious, especially if you are a squad member," Rolon said.