In one of the weirdest stories of 2017, Republican Kentucky Senator Rand Paul was attacked while mowing his lawn by his neighbor Rene Boucher. Sen. Paul suffered several broken ribs and a bruised lung in the altercation, which raised many (still unanswered) questions from others in Paul’s Bowling Green community, while his wife denied rumors that the attack had anything to do with a long-running feud between the two neighbors. While Boucher is already awaiting sentencing after reaching a plea deal on local charges, he’s now been charged with a federal crime, as well.
Rene A. Boucher, 58, of Bowling Green, Kentucky, was charged with assaulting a member of Congress resulting in personal injury, a felony, said the office of Josh Minkler, the US Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana.
“Assaulting a member of Congress is an offense we take very seriously,” Minkler said in a statement. “Those who choose to commit such an act will be held accountable.”
Boucher has maintained that the attack was not politically motivated, but that he had “had enough” with Paul’s haphazard landscaping methods.
If convicted under the federal statute for assaulting a member of Congress, Boucher would face a sentence of up to 10 years as well as a fine of up to $250,000.
(Via New York Post)