Sen. Rand Paul’s attacker receives longer prison sentence

Bowling Green, Ky. – U.S. Sen. Rand Paul’s former neighbor was resentenced Monday to an extra seven months behind bars and six months in home detention for tackling and injuring the Kentucky lawmaker over a lawn care dispute.

Rene Boucher originally was given a 30-day sentence after pleading guilty to assaulting a member of Congress. Federal prosecutors argued the sentence was too lenient, describing the 2017 attack outside Paul’s home in Bowling Green, Kentucky, as “vicious and unprovoked.” They sought at least 21 months for Boucher.

On Monday, another federal judge, Matthew Leitman, ordered Boucher to serve eight months in prison followed by six months of home confinement for the assault. He was given credit for the 30 days he’s already served behind bars.

Leitman is a U.S. district judge out of Flint, Michigan. He handled the Kentucky case because judges there recused themselves since Paul is a U.S. senator from the state.

Paul, a former presidential candidate, suffered multiple broken ribs and later underwent lung and hernia surgeries that he linked to the attack.

“Dr. Boucher is going to accept his punishment and he has sincerely apologized to the Pauls again today,” said Boucher’s attorney, Matt Baker. “He wants to put this behind him.”

Paul sued Boucher over the attack, and a jury last year awarded the Republican lawmaker more than $580,000 in damages and medical expenses.

Paul had testified during that trial that he feared for his life as he struggled to breathe after Boucher, an anesthesiologist by trade, slammed into him in their upscale Bowling Green neighborhood in late 2017.

Boucher testified that he attacked Paul after watching the senator form a brush pile near their property line.

Boucher has since sold his home, his attorney said.