Pubdate: Fri, 01 Feb 2002 Source: Naples Daily News (FL) Copyright: 2002 Naples Daily News. Contact: http://www.naplesnews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/284 Author: Brent Kallestad, Associated Press GOV. BUSH'S DAUGHTER HAS HISTORY OF BAD DRIVING TALLAHASSEE - Gov. Jeb Bush's daughter acted belligerent after a car accident she caused in September 2000 and told police she had taken a prescription drug before the wreck. Police said Thursday that Noelle Bush, arrested earlier this week for prescription drug fraud, showed no signs of being intoxicated so they did not ask for a drug test and instead called the governor's office to get someone to pick her up. For the younger Bush, it was the third of four accidents she was involved in between 1999 and 2001 in Leon County. In the September 2000 accident, police ticketed her for drifting out of her lane and colliding with a truck driven by Sandra Morrow of Tallahassee. Morrow told the Tallahassee Democrat in Thursday's editions that Bush was confrontational following the morning accident Sept. 26, 2000. Morrow said Bush sideswiped her as she waited in a turn lane at a busy Tallahassee intersection on her way to work about 8 a.m. Bush pulled into a convenience store parking lot and Morrow pulled up nearby. "She was freaking out," Morrow said. "She was like, 'Look at my car, look at my car.' "Then she came up in my face like she was going to hit me. She was belligerent, on top of me." Morrow said Bush told the officer who made out the report that she was on a prescription medication. The officer who completed the accident report did not feel there was any reason to ask Bush for a blood sample, Tallahassee police spokesman Scott Hunt said. "We can't demand that someone submit an evidentiary specimen without cause." The officer, Frank Arias, alerted the governor's office and an aide picked Bush up. Morrow said Bush, who has been ticketed a dozen times since 1995, approached her to apologize before leaving the scene. "She said, 'My dad is going to kill me,' " Morrow told the Democrat. Morrow did not return phone messages from The Associated Press seeking comment Thursday. Bush also was cited in January 2000 for failure to report an accident. She was not cited for minor accidents in 1999 and 2001. After the September 2000 crash, Bush attended driving school to avoid a license suspension. Florida drivers who accumulate 12 points in one year automatically lose their licenses, unless they attend traffic school. State Attorney Willie Meggs said Thursday that he's waiting to hear from Noelle Bush's attorney before deciding whether to prosecute her on a felony charge of prescription drug fraud. "We'll see if there is some way we can come to an agreement that is satisfactory to everyone," Meggs said. Police arrested Bush when she tried to buy Xanax with a fraudulent prescription at a pharmacy drive-through window. The arrest report said she had called the pharmacy earlier posing as a doctor. Drug prescription fraud is a third-degree felony that carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $5,000 fine. However, most cases are settled without any jail time being involved. Bush's attorney, Peter Antonacci, submitted a written notice Thursday to the court so Noelle Bush would not have to attend an initial appearance scheduled Thursday. He did not return several messages seeking comment Thursday. Hunt said Bush was treated like anyone else at the time of her arrest Tuesday, even though officers were aware of whom they had stopped. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement, which is responsible for the governor's security, tag the license plates of the governor and his family for security reasons. "When they run the tag and it comes back tagged by FDLE, it kind of sets off a clue in the policeman's mind," Hunt said. "TPD has never shied away from arresting someone just because of who they are." Gov. Bush would not comment Thursday about his daughter's arrest. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth