GOV. BUSH'S DAUGHTER HAS HISTORY OF BAD DRIVING

TALLAHASSEE - Gov. Jeb Bush's daughter acted belligerent after a car
accident she caused in September 2000 and told police she had taken a
prescription drug before the wreck.

Police said Thursday that Noelle Bush, arrested earlier this week for
prescription drug fraud, showed no signs of being intoxicated so they did
not ask for a drug test and instead called the governor's office to get
someone to pick her up.

For the younger Bush, it was the third of four accidents she was involved
in between 1999 and 2001 in Leon County. In the September 2000 accident,
police ticketed her for drifting out of her lane and colliding with a truck
driven by Sandra Morrow of Tallahassee.

Morrow told the Tallahassee Democrat in Thursday's editions that Bush was
confrontational following the morning accident Sept. 26, 2000.

Morrow said Bush sideswiped her as she waited in a turn lane at a busy
Tallahassee intersection on her way to work about 8 a.m. Bush pulled into a
convenience store parking lot and Morrow pulled up nearby.

"She was freaking out," Morrow said. "She was like, 'Look at my car, look
at my car.'

"Then she came up in my face like she was going to hit me. She was
belligerent, on top of me."

Morrow said Bush told the officer who made out the report that she was on a
prescription medication.

The officer who completed the accident report did not feel there was any
reason to ask Bush for a blood sample, Tallahassee police spokesman Scott
Hunt said. "We can't demand that someone submit an evidentiary specimen
without cause."

The officer, Frank Arias, alerted the governor's office and an aide picked
Bush up.

Morrow said Bush, who has been ticketed a dozen times since 1995,
approached her to apologize before leaving the scene.

"She said, 'My dad is going to kill me,' " Morrow told the Democrat.

Morrow did not return phone messages from The Associated Press seeking
comment Thursday.

Bush also was cited in January 2000 for failure to report an accident. She
was not cited for minor accidents in 1999 and 2001.

After the September 2000 crash, Bush attended driving school to avoid a
license suspension. Florida drivers who accumulate 12 points in one year
automatically lose their licenses, unless they attend traffic school.

State Attorney Willie Meggs said Thursday that he's waiting to hear from
Noelle Bush's attorney before deciding whether to prosecute her on a felony
charge of prescription drug fraud.

"We'll see if there is some way we can come to an agreement that is
satisfactory to everyone," Meggs said.

Police arrested Bush when she tried to buy Xanax with a fraudulent
prescription at a pharmacy drive-through window. The arrest report said she
had called the pharmacy earlier posing as a doctor.

Drug prescription fraud is a third-degree felony that carries a maximum
penalty of five years in prison and a $5,000 fine. However, most cases are
settled without any jail time being involved.

Bush's attorney, Peter Antonacci, submitted a written notice Thursday to
the court so Noelle Bush would not have to attend an initial appearance
scheduled Thursday. He did not return several messages seeking comment
Thursday.

Hunt said Bush was treated like anyone else at the time of her arrest
Tuesday, even though officers were aware of whom they had stopped. The
Florida Department of Law Enforcement, which is responsible for the
governor's security, tag the license plates of the governor and his family
for security reasons.

"When they run the tag and it comes back tagged by FDLE, it kind of sets
off a clue in the policeman's mind," Hunt said. "TPD has never shied away
from arresting someone just because of who they are."

Gov. Bush would not comment Thursday about his daughter's arrest.