Gov. Bush's Daughter Jailed

Gov. Jeb Bush's 24-year-old daughter Noelle was jailed Wednesday for having prescription pills while in a treatment center, violating a court-ordered drug treatment plan.

A judge sentenced Bush to three days behind bars in Orlando for contempt of court.

According to her lawyer, Pete Antonacci, Bush had the pills in her possession for about a half-hour, but tested negative for having taken them. Antonacci said he didn't know what the pills were.

A letter from the treatment center to Judge Reginald Whitehead says Bush was questioned by a staffer who had noticed that she was carrying pills. According to the letter, Bush explained that she had found the pills, but a nurse said they were taken from a cabinet in her office.

The letter goes on to say that "there is a concern about her lack of honesty, and how it relates to her (recovery)."

Bush was arrested in January at a pharmacy drive-through window for allegedly trying to buy the anti-anxiety drug Xanax with a fraudulent prescription. She was admitted to a drug treatment center in February, with the possibility the charges would be dropped if she completed the program.

Bush was being held in protective custody, as is common with high-profile inmates. A hearing on her case will be held on Friday, the day she is to be released.

The jail normally doesn't allow weekday visitors, but Gov. Bush was allowed to visit his daughter Wednesday night after speaking in Orlando.

"We're saddened and disappointed that my daughter's not complying with the court order," said Gov. Bush. "People that have addictions don't recover in a perfect way. My daughter's not perfect."

Earlier Wednesday, in an e-mail to reporters, the Florida Republican said: "We love Noelle, but she is an adult, and I respect the role of the courts in carrying out our state's drug treatment policies."

By David Royse