GOVERNOR'S DAUGHTER, NOELLE, CHARGED IN PRESCRIPTION FRAUD

Anxiety Sufferer Had Attack, She Says

TALLAHASSEE -- In an incident that Gov. Jeb Bush said left him "deeply
saddened," Bush's 24-year-old daughter was arrested early yesterday and
accused of trying to fraudulently buy prescription drugs from a Tallahassee
pharmacy.

Noelle Bush, whose parents have made fighting drugs a major issue in the
Bush administration, was arrested after she tried to buy the depressant
Xanax at the drive-through window of a Walgreens store about 1:15 a.m.,
police reports said.

A pharmacist called police after he became suspicious about a phoned- in
prescription for the drug. Officers went to the store and found Noelle Bush
waiting alone in a white Volkswagen bug in the drive- through lane, reports
said.

After questioning, police arrested her on a felony charge, handcuffed her
and took her to the Leon County Jail. She was released at 5:37 a.m. without
having to post bond, police said.

Jeb Bush, after an unrelated news conference later in the day, spoke
briefly with reporters about the incident. He described it as "really hard"
and asked for privacy.

"A lot of families go through this, and I would just urge [you] to allow it
to be as private a matter as possible."

Noelle Bush moved to Tallahassee after her father was elected in 1998 and
graduated in 2000 from Tallahassee Community College. She attended Florida
State University during the 2000-01 academic year, though she is not
currently enrolled, and told police she was scheduled to start a job
yesterday at a Tallahassee software company.

Yesterday's arrest came after a series of late-night and early morning
phone calls to a Walgreens on North Monroe Street in Tallahassee.

Pharmacist Carlos Zimmerman told police he received a call about 11 p.m.
Monday from a woman checking to see if a prescription had been phoned in
for Noelle Bush. Zimmerman said a phone message for the prescription was
made by a woman identifying herself as "Dr. Scidmore."

Zimmerman told police the message sounded suspicious because the purported
doctor did not specify how many pills to dispense. A short time later, the
woman called back to check again on the prescription for Noelle Bush.

Zimmerman told the woman that the purported doctor had not specified a
quantity of drugs. About 10 minutes later, the phone message system
received another call that indicated how many pills to dispense.

Because of his suspicions, Zimmerman called the doctor's answering service.
Another doctor called back and said Scidmore had largely stopped practicing
in Tallahassee and said the prescription should be treated as fraudulent.

The first woman then called back to check again on the prescription, and
Zimmerman told her it would be ready in about 40 minutes. Zimmerman told
police that Noelle Bush arrived about 1 a.m.

"I told her I [needed] her address, so she gave me her license and
[insurance information]," Zimmerman said in a written statement to police.
"I then left out of the pharmacy to call the police while she waited in the
drive-through."

Police said Noelle Bush's voice sounded identical to the voice of the
purported doctor on the phone message. Also, Noelle Bush acknowledged to
police that the contact number given for Scidmore is actually a phone
number to her apartment. She told police that she was alone Monday evening
when she had an anxiety attack.

Xanax, a drug that depresses the nervous system, reduces anxiety. It also
can give feelings of light-headedness and relaxation.

David Spiegel, a doctor at Boston University's Center for Anxiety and
Related Disorders, said Xanax is normally used to treat anxiety disorders.
He said studies have shown that the drug causes an "unpleasant" high in
abusers and is normally used to bring them down from another high.

"For people who are taking it for anxiety disorder, the incidence of abuse
is quite low, but usually occurs in people who have [a] history of abusing
other drugs and is rarely abused alone," Spiegel said.

Noelle Bush had been hired as an administrative assistant at Infinity
Software, a Tallahassee-based software company. Tom Lynch, the company's
president, said yesterday he had not decided whether she will remain with
the company, though he earlier said she would still have a job with the
company.

"I want to hear from her."

Jeb Bush has largely tried to keep Noelle and her younger brother, Jebbie,
out of the spotlight since he has been governor. His oldest child, George
P. Bush, however, has become something of a celebrity and was seen often
during the 2000 presidential election.

The governor acknowledged during his 1998 campaign that one of his children
had experienced a short-term drug problem but that it had been resolved.
Bush never has identified which of his children had the problem, though
speculation in Tallahassee has long centered on his daughter.

Jeb Bush has made drug-fighting a high-profile issue in his administration,
including hiring a drug czar, James McDonough, to oversee the state's
efforts. In 1999, Bush announced a $540 million plan aimed at cutting the
number of drug users in half in five years.

Before appearing at the news conference yesterday, Bush issued a statement
asking for privacy "so that we can help our daughter."

"Columba and I are deeply saddened over an incident that occurred last
night involving our daughter, Noelle," the statement said. "This is a very
serious problem. Unfortunately, substance abuse is an issue confronting
families across our nation."

This report includes information from The Associated Press.