Happy Families

The Associated Press Friday
16 September 2005 20:28 USA East Coast

Son of Florida Governor Jeb Bush
arrested for public intoxication,
resisting arrest

John Ellis Bush, the youngest son of Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, was arrested early Friday and charged with public intoxication and resisting arrest, law enforcement officials in Texas said.

The 21-year-old nephew of President Bush was arrested by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission at 2:30 a.m. Friday on a corner of Austin's Sixth Street bar district, said spokesman Roger Wade.

John Ellis Bush was released on $2,500 bond for resisting arrest, and on a personal recognizance bond for the public intoxication charge, officials said.

Alia Faraj, the spokeswoman for Jeb Bush said the incident "is a personal family matter" which the governor and his wife "are dealing with privately."

Gov. Bush and his wife Columba appeared Friday evening at the Historical Museum of Southern Florida for a reception. The governor said it was not an appropriate time to discuss specifics of the incident.

"My son's doing fine. It's a private matter. We will support him. We're sad for him. But I'm not going to discuss it on the public square with 30 cameras," the governor said at the downtown Miami event.

Capt. David Ferrero of the Texas Alcohol Beverage Commission told Miami television station WSVN that the younger Bush "received a small cut on his chin when he was resisting and he was treated and released from the hospital." A staffer answering phones at the commission's

offices later Friday evening said he had no information about John Ellis Bush being injured during the incident.

It's not the first time Florida's first family has experienced legal problems with one of their children.

Noelle Bush, the governor's daughter, was arrested in January 2002 and was accused of trying to pass a fraudulent prescription at a Tallahassee pharmacy to obtain the anti-anxiety drug Xanax. She completed a drug rehabilitation program in August 2003 and a judge

dismissed the drug charges against her.

Noelle Bush was sent to jail twice for violating rules during her rehab stint. She was jailed for three days in July 2002 after being caught with prescription pills and served 10 days a month later after being accused of having a small rock of crack cocaine in her shoe.

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