Noelle Bush Gets 10 Days In Jail

Florida Gov. Jeb Bush's daughter was led away in handcuffs Thursday after a judge sentenced her to 10 days in jail for violating the terms of her drug treatment program.

Noelle Bush, 25, kissed her aunt Dorothy Koch before a sheriff's deputy cuffed her hands behind her back. Her father, the governor, was not in the courtroom. She is a niece of President George W. Bush.

Before she was sentenced, Noelle Bush told Circuit Judge Reginald Whitehead: "I sincerely apologize for what happened and promise to do well at the Center for Drug-Free Living."

Whitehead didn't specifically give a reason in court for jailing Noelle Bush but told her that he was aware of allegations that she was found with crack cocaine in her shoe while at the treatment center.

The judge said he was disappointed in her but was allowing her to stay in the program rather than returning her to the regular criminal justice system.

"I want you to have some time to think and reflect on this," he said. "You should be disappointed that you let yourself down."

The president's niece has been undergoing drug treatment in Orlando since February as an alternative to going through the traditional criminal justice system.

She was placed in the drug court system after she was accused of trying to use a forged prescription to buy the anti-anxiety drug Xanax at a pharmacy drive-through in January. In July, she was sent to jail for two days after rehabilitation center workers found her with prescription pills. Police were called to the center last month because of reports she had crack cocaine.

In a statement released Thursday, the governor said he realizes that his daughter must face the consequences of her actions.

"Every parent of a child with an addiction understands that the long road to recovery is never easy and that there are numerous challenges along the way," Bush said. "This is a very difficult time for all of us ... and I pray every day our beautiful daughter will once again know a life free from the horrors of substance abuse."