JEB BUSH'S DAUGHTER IS ARRESTED ON CHARGE OF FAKING PRESCRIPTION

MIAMI, Jan. 29 - Gov. Jeb Bush's daughter was arrested early this morning
and charged with prescription fraud after she illegally tried to obtain the
antianxiety drug Xanax from a Walgreens pharmacy in Tallahassee, the police
said.

The police said the governor's daughter, Noelle, 24, posing as a Dr. Noel
Scidmore, called in the prescription late Monday night.

Ms. Bush, who is President Bush's niece, was arrested by a Tallahassee
police officer at 1:15 a.m. today after she tried to pick up the
prescription, the police said.

The pharmacist on duty, Carlos Zimmerman, became suspicious because the
prescription did not include a quantity. He called the doctor's answering
service and was told that Dr. Scidmore no longer practiced in the state and
that the prescription appeared to be fraudulent.

When Ms. Bush arrived, Mr. Zimmerman called the police, he said in a police
statement.

The police described Ms. Bush as "very shaky" when she was questioned at
the scene. Officers obtained a copy of the recorded prescription order and
asked Ms. Bush whether she had posed as the doctor.

"My observation is that the voice on the voice mail and the voice of Miss
Bush appear identical," Officer Mark Dent said in a report.

Ms. Bush denied having called in the prescription, but admitted that the
phone line used to make the call was a second line at her home, the
authorities said.

She was released without bond pending an arraignment on Thursday. She could
get up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine if convicted.

A 2000 graduate of Tallahassee Community College, Ms. Bush was to have
begun a job today as an administrative assistant for Infinity Software
Development in Tallahassee. The company said in a statement that the job
offer still stood.

Governor Bush issued a statement today but said neither he nor the family
would comment further.

"Columba and I are deeply saddened over an incident that occurred last
night involving our daughter, Noelle," Governor Bush said in the statement.

Ms. Bush is the second of the governor's three children and his only daughter.

Governor Bush's statement acknowledged that she had a substance abuse
problem. "This is a very serious problem," it said. "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."

Ms. Bush's cousins, the president's twin daughters, Jenna and Barbara, were
arrested last year on charges of under-age drinking and pleaded no contest.