Senator Rand Paul Assault Story Gets Weirder Yet

Rand Paul was allegedly assaulted by his neighbor on Friday, and it seems that this story has taken on a life of its own with several different reports coming from this one event. The Republican senator was at home mowing his lawn when a neighbor allegedly came up from behind and tackled him to the ground. First reports sounded as if Paul got up and brushed himself off, as his representative released a statement declaring Senator Paul was just “fine.” His injuries were reported as “minor” and labeled as a “few scratches.”

Senator Paul and his neighbor live in homes on adjoining properties in a Bowling Green, Kentucky, gated community. There didn’t seem to be any question as to whether or not the neighbor actually assaulted Paul as he admitted to coming on Paul’s property and tackling the senator from behind. The neighbor’s identity was made public, and he was arrested for the assault. Rene Boucher, 59, the neighbor who reportedly assaulted Paul, 54, was arrested on a misdemeanor count of assault and released on a $7,500 bail.

Boucher didn’t deny that this event occurred and his lawyer confirmed that his client regrets the incident, so it sounds as if they are all on board about how this happened. But a new report indicates that Boucher is planning to plead not guilty at his court appearance on Thursday, according to CBS News. This is after Boucher admitted to going onto Paul’s property and tackling him while he was mowing the lawn.

There are conflicting stories on the severity of the attack and the degree of Paul’s injuries. Not only are the reports confusing regarding this attack and Paul’s injuries, but the motive behind this assault is sketchy as well. Paul’s neighbor Boucher is pictured below.

As the Washington Post suggests, this assault occurred days ago, yet “the more we learn about it the weirder it gets.” Even Fox New’s Shepard Smith had a hard time wrapping his head around the story when he reported it live on the air Monday afternoon. He not only raised his eyebrows over a few of the odd details but said,”It smells like skunk in the chicken house” when giving his opinion on the story.

In a matter of hours, Paul’s condition and this story went from the senator is just “fine” and Boucher being arrested on a charge that’s only a misdemeanor, to Paul being in the hospital with five broken ribs and a bruised lung, which could lead to a “life-threatening” situation. Now Paul’s senior advisor Doug Stafford is talking about possible federal charges regarding this assault.

Boucher’s lawyer, Matthew J. Baker, issued a statement on Monday that conveyed this event had nothing to do with politics or a political agenda. He also called this incident “a very regrettable dispute between two neighbors over a matter that most people would regard as trivial.”

The lawyer for the neighbor also added that he hoped Boucher and Paul could “get back to being neighbors as quickly as possible.” This leaves a lot of unanswered questions, which the Washington Post has put forward today.

“So it’s a ‘trivial’ matter, but apparently he can’t say what was so ‘trivial.’ Is it because the reason is embarrassing because it might somehow be more incriminating, or what? It’s also somewhat more difficult to believe such serious injuries would result from such a ‘trivial’ dispute. And the line about them resuming as neighbors ‘as quickly as possible’ is a bit odd. I’m guessing Paul doesn’t exactly feel the same way right now.”

According to the Washington Post, Stafford also offered up a rather serious sounding comment when asked about this case.

“It is a pending, serious criminal matter involving state and federal authorities. We won’t have any further comments at this time.”

This is a far cry from let’s hope the men go back to being neighbors, as Boucher’s lawyer suggests, according to the Washington Post.

“The wording there — ‘involving state and federal authorities’ — is also somewhat intriguing. Why are the federal authorities going to be involved? We only know so far of the arrest warrant in Kentucky. Is it just because Paul is a U.S. senator and they are inherently involved?”

The original story reported that Paul was mowing his lawn over the weekend and when he got off the riding mower, with earplugs still in place, Boucher tackled him from behind. This “blindsided” the senator, said Kelsey Cooper, who is a representative for Paul. She was also the spokesperson who reported, “Senator Paul is fine.”

Today, the New York Times reports, “Competing explanations of the origins of the drama cited stray yard clippings, newly planted saplings, and unraked leaves.” The Times also reports that Paul’s property “has long stood out in the well-to-do gated neighborhood south of Bowling Green, Ky., that he calls home. The senator grows pumpkins on his property, composts and has shown little interest in neighborhood regulations.”

After Cooper deemed the senator “fine,” another report came out regarding the actual seriousness of this assault, which was revealed by Paul’s senior advisor Doug Stafford. He released a statement conveying that Paul’s injuries were serious enough that they could become life-threatening. He reported the assault broke five of Paul’s ribs. Stafford also said, “the broken ribs include three displaced fractures, which can lead to life-threatening injuries.” Reports also indicate that Paul is suffering from bruised lungs.

According to the New York Times, Boucher is a Democrat, and it is well-known that the two men have polarized political views. Still, neighbors believe there’s been a storm brewing over their adjacent properties, more so than any festering political differences. Jim Skaggs, who is the developer of the gated community where both men live, as well as a resident and their neighbor, believes this was a “neighbor-to-neighbor thing” over property rights.

“They just both had strong opinions, and a little different one about what property rights mean.” He also said that Paul, “certainly believes in stronger property rights than exist in America.”

Paul and Boucher worked together at the same hospital at one time. Besides being a United States senator, Paul is also an ophthalmologist. Boucher is a retired anesthesiologist and pain specialist. At one time, both men had their medical practices in Bowling Green.

So what really did happen? This is the question many are asking today.

Editor’s note: this story previously reported that Rene Boucher traveled with Senator Paul during a missionary trip to provide medical care in Guatemala. Senator Paul’s communications office has informed the Inquisitr’s editors that Mr. Boucher never accompanied the senator on any such trip.

[Featured Image by Bryan Woolston/AP Images]