Bush's niece jailed over prescription pills

PRESIDENT George Bush's niece has been jailed for having prescription pills while in a treatment centre, violating a court-ordered treatment plan.

Noelle, the 24-year-old daughter of Florida Governor Jeb Bush, was sentenced to three days behind bars in Orlando for contempt of court.

Bush had the pills in her possession for about half an hour, but tested negative for having taken them, said her lawyer, Pete Antonacci. He said he did not know what the pills were.

A letter from the treatment centre to Judge Reginald Whitehead said Bush was questioned by a staff member who noticed her carrying pills.

Bush said she had found the pills, while a nurse said they were taken from a cabinet in her office, the letter said. “There is a concern about her lack of honesty and how it relates to her recovery,” the letter said.

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

Bush was being held in protective custody, as is common with high-profile inmates, authorities said. A hearing was set for today, the day of her release.

Governor Bush visited his daughter on Wednesday after speaking in Orlando. “We’re saddened and disappointed that my daughter’s not complying with the court order,” the governor said at the presentation.

“People that have addictions don’t recover in a perfect way. My daughter’s not perfect.”