Attorney: Attack on Sen. Paul was over ‘trivial’ dispute

Associated Press

BOWLING GREEN, Ky.

An assault of U.S. Sen. Rand Paul by a longtime next-door neighbor was not motivated by political differences but by a dispute “most people would find trivial,” an attorney for the man charged in the attack said Monday.

Attorney Matt Baker did not say what dispute prompted the attack that stunned the Bowling Green community and left Paul, 54, with five broken ribs.

Police charged 59-year-old Rene Boucher with misdemeanor fourth-degree assault with a minor injury. Records show he was released from jail Saturday on a $7,500 bond. He has not returned multiple calls seeking comment.

Boucher and Paul have been neighbors for 17 years, the attorney said. Paul is an ophthalmologist and Boucher is an anesthesiologist. Baker called them “both prominent members of the medical community” who “worked together when they were both practicing physicians.”

“The unfortunate occurrence of Nov. 3 has absolutely nothing to do with either’s politics or political agendas. It was a very regrettable dispute between two neighbors over a matter that most people would regard as trivial,” Baker said in an email to The Associated Press.

“We sincerely hope that Sen. Paul is doing well and that these two gentlemen can get back to being neighbors as quickly as possible.”

Baker said in an interview later, “This is just a profoundly unfortunate set of circumstances that I’m sure that if everyone had it to do over again, it would be done completely differently.”