GOV. BUSH'S DAUGHTER ARRESTED

Effort To Buy Anti-Anxiety Drug Is Called Prescription Fraud

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Gov. Jeb Bush's 24-year-old daughter was
arrested at a pharmacy drive-through window Tuesday on charges of
trying to buy the anti-anxiety drug Xanax with a fraudulent
prescription.

Authorities said Noelle Bush posed as a doctor and called in the
phony prescription after suffering a panic attack Monday evening.

Bush, who was supposed to start a new job today at a software
company, was jailed and released pending an arraignment Thursday.

Jeb Bush and his wife, Columba, issued a statement saying they were
``deeply saddened'' by the incident. They said ``substance abuse is
an issue confronting many families across our nation.''

President Bush's twin daughters, Jenna and Barbara, have gotten in
trouble for underage drinking.

Jeb and Columba Bush had said previously that one of their three
children struggled with a drug problem after Bush's unsuccessful
first run for governor in 1994. They did not say whether it was
Noelle or one of her brothers, George, 25, or Jebby, 18.

According to police, Noelle Bush called a Walgreens pharmacy late
Monday to see if a prescription had been called in for her. The
pharmacist checked the voice mail and heard a woman claiming to be
Dr. Noel Scidmore requesting a prescription for Xanax.

Bush later called back to check on the prescription and Pharmacist
Carlos Zimmerman told her he needed her to specify a quantity. He
received a voice-mail message about 10 minutes later, purportedly
from the doctor.

He then called the doctor's answering service. Another doctor
returned the call and said Scidmore ``isn't really practicing now.''
The doctor said the phoned-in prescription should be treated as
fraudulent.

Noelle Bush drove up about 1 a.m. and was waiting there when police arrived.

Noelle Bush, who lives alone in Tallahassee, studied art and
graduated from Tallahassee Community College in 2000. She attended
Florida State University during the 2000-01 academic year but is not
enrolled now.

She would face a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a
$5,000 fine if convicted.