Jeb Bush's Daughter Accused of Prescription Fraud
T A L L A H A S S E E, Fla., Jan. 29 -- Florida Gov. Jeb Bush's 24-year-old daughter has been charged with prescription drug fraud, Tallahassee police said today.
Noelle Bush, the only daughter of President Bush's younger brother, was arrested Monday night for trying to pass a forged drug prescription, police told ABCNEWS affiliate WTXL in Tallahassee.
"Columba and I are deeply saddened over an incident that occurred last night involving our daughter Noelle. This is a very serious problem. Unfortunately, substance abuse is an issue confronting many families across our nation," Bush said.
Accused of Forging Prescription for Xanax
Bush was arrested at a Walgreen's drug store in Tallahassee, after she drove up in a white Volkswagen Beetle to the pharmacy's drive-through window to pick up a prescription for Xanax. Xanax is an anti-anxiety drug typically prescribed for anxiety disorders and sleep problems.
She was handcuffed and taken to Leon County Jail.
"Bush appeared very shaky during interview, but calmed considerably after being placed under arrest," one of the arresting officers said in his report.
The Walgreen's pharmacist, Carlos Zimmerman, told police he had received two messages on the store's voicemail from someone identifying herself as "Dr. Noelle Scidmore." The caller left a detailed prescription for Xanax for Noelle Bush.
Zimmerman called the doctor's voice answering service to confirm the prescription, and a colleague of Dr. Scidmore, Dr. Wickstrom, responded to Zimmerman's call.
"Dr. Wickstrom called me back indicating that Dr. Scidmore is moving and isn't really practicing now, and said it was a fake and to bust her," Zimmerman said in a statement to police.
Bush told police she did not call the pharmacy pretending to be a doctor, and that the prescription had been obtained lawfully about a week earlier.
Bush admitted the contact number left on the voicemail was that of her second home phone line, police said.
One officer who listened to the tapes said the voice appeared to be that of Noelle Bush.
