Gov. Jeb Bush's Daughter Sentenced
The Associated Press
Thursday, October 17, 2002; 11:14 AM
ORLANDO, Fla. ?? Gov. Jeb Bush's daughter was led away in handcuffs Thursday after a judge sentenced her to 10 days in jail for violating the terms of her drug treatment program.
Noelle Bush, 25, kissed her aunt Dorothy Koch before a sheriff's deputy cuffed her hands behind her back. Her father, the governor, was not in the courtroom.
Before she was sentenced, Noelle Bush told Circuit Judge Reginald Whitehead: "I sincerely apologize for what happened and promise to do well at the Center for Drug-Free Living."
Whitehead told her he was sending her to jail because he was aware of allegations that she had been found with crack cocaine in her shoe while at the treatment center.
The judge said he was disappointed in her but was allowing her to stay in the program rather than returning her to the regular criminal justice system.
"I want you to have some time to think and reflect on this," he said. "You should be disappointed that you let yourself down."
The president's niece has been undergoing drug treatment in Orlando since February as an alternative to going through the traditional criminal justice system.
She was placed in the drug court system after she was accused of trying to use a forged prescription to buy the anti-anxiety drug Xanax at a pharmacy drive-through in January. In July, she was sent to jail for two days after rehabilitation center workers found her with prescription pills. Police were called to the center last month because of reports she had crack cocaine.
In interviews this week, Gov. Bush said his daughter's battle with drugs has strained his family, but he said he accepted the judge's decision.
Noelle Bush was sentenced on the same day President Bush was scheduled to visit Florida to discuss education at a New Smyrna Beach elementary school and hold a fund raiser for his brother's re-election campaign.
