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CNN Live Today

Noelle Bush Investigated

Aired September 10, 2002 - 10:10   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Police in Orlando, Florida say that Governor Jeb Bush's daughter, Noelle, is under investigation. Staff members at a drug treatment facility say she was found with a substance that tested positive for cocaine.
Our Mark Potter now is in Miami, and she joins us with more details on this developing story.

Mark, good morning.

MARK POTTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

Orlando police were called to a drug treatment facility last night about 8:30, because of a problem with a residence there, Noelle Bush. She had been found according to police, in possession of a small white rock about two grams in size, and officers field tested it and found it tested positive for cocaine. The young woman is not yet in police custody. We are told this case is still under investigation. The judge that oversees her involvement in the drug treatment program has also not yet been notified. This is clearly a work in progress. We are told within a half hour or so, we may be getting more information from the Orlando police department.

Now, Governor Jeb Bush himself and his family of course have had a very difficult time with this. This is a very tough personal issue for his family. He has spoken on this issue in the past, in fact has broken down when talking about his daughter and his support for her.

Today, after returning from a campaign gathering at the capitol, he spoke briefly with reporters, who described him as being visibly shaken. He said that he does still continue to support his daughter, and we will have that tape of that interview shortly, and we will play it as soon as we can turn that around for you.

You may recall that Noelle Bush has been this trouble for some time. In January, she was arrested in Tallahassee for trying to use a false prescription to obtain the drug Xanax, used as an anti- depressant or to fight anxiety. She was placed into a drug treatment program in July. She was hit with a charge of contempt of court for allegedly taking some prescription drugs. She was found in possession of these drugs. They had been taken from a medicine cabinet. She was put in jail for three days.

When she was released, the judge said that he hoped that she had learned her lesson. He offered support. She is back in the treatment facility, and now there is this problem. And we're not certain where this is going to lead, but she definitely appears to have a problem. Police are still working on it. When we get more, and we expect to have it shortly, Mark, we will bring it to you.

KAGAN: Mark, I'm not sure if you'd have this perspective right now, but in terms of chances, and someone else that may be going down the same path, as Noelle Bush, given who she is and whose daughter she is, that she has been given more chances than somebody who might has tripped up this many times?

POTTER: No if you've been in rehab, you know, and worked around rehab, you know that relapse is common, it is expected in recovery. If recovery was easy, everybody could do it right away. It is a very hard thing to get through sometimes. And the fact that she was put in jail for three days and put back in the program is common treatment that everybody would face. And that is why the theory of the drug court program. You support people, you expect that they will have problems along the way, and you try to help them get through that.

I don't think she's getting special treatment, because she's the governor's daughter.

KAGAN: It's one thing to trip up, but to actually have a substance while you're still in rehab, I think that's one thing that has people's attention this morning -- Mark.

POTTER: Absolutely, and that's going to be punished. If that's found to go true, she's going to face -- most likely will face a much heavier punishment than she did last time, the three-day sentence. There is no excuse that I am making here for that, but I'm saying that in the past, in covering this topic quite extensively, I can tell you that I have seen this happen over and over, where people are -- you know, they are given other chances, because recovery is very tough. They'd rather keep them in the program than put them out on the streets.

KAGAN: Right, where it might turn into even a bigger problem. The Governor Jeb Bush expected to have some comments, and we will have that tape as soon as it is available.

Mark Potter in Miami, thank you so much.

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