{"id":50927,"date":"2017-11-07T05:20:12","date_gmt":"2017-11-07T05:20:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/?p=50927"},"modified":"2017-11-07T05:20:12","modified_gmt":"2017-11-07T05:20:12","slug":"suspect-in-attack-on-sen-rand-paul-might-face-more-serious-charges-police-say","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/politics\/suspect-in-attack-on-sen-rand-paul-might-face-more-serious-charges-police-say.html","title":{"rendered":"Suspect in attack on Sen. Rand Paul might face more serious charges, police say"},"content":{"rendered":"

Suspect in attack on Sen. Rand Paul might face more serious charges, police say<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

The man accused of attacking Sen. Rand Paul on Friday may soon face more serious criminal charges because the Kentucky Republican is suffering from several rib injuries, law enforcement officials said Monday.<\/span><\/p>\n

An attorney for the man charged in the attack, Rene Boucher, also said Monday that the dispute had \u201cabsolutely nothing to do with either\u2019s politics or political agendas\u201d and was merely \u201ca very regrettable dispute between two neighbors over a matter that most people would regard as trivial.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

But new information about the extent of Paul\u2019s injuries could prompt prosecutors to charge Boucher with a felony, according to Trooper Jeremy Hodges, a spokesman for the Kentucky State Police.<\/span><\/p>\n

Paul, a second-term senator and former GOP presidential candidate, was attacked by Boucher, 59, on Friday outside his home in Bowling Green, Ky., police said. Boucher was charged with fourth-degree assault and released on Saturday on $7,500 bond.<\/span><\/p>\n

The misdemeanor charge against Boucher applies to cases in which no weapon is involved and the victim receives minor injuries, Hodges said.<\/span><\/p>\n

At the time of the assault, Paul had \u201ctrouble breathing due to a potential rib injury,\u201d according to a criminal complaint filed in Warren County District Court. On Sunday, Paul\u2019s office announced he was recovering from five rib fractures, including three displaced fractures, meaning the bones are partly or completely cracked. He has lung contusions, or bruises, caused by the broken ribs, and his recovery could last several months, his office said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Given those injuries, Hodges said police and prosecutors will now consider upgrading the charges.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt requires serious physical injury in order for someone to be charged with a felony,\u201d Hodges said. \u201cOur arresting officer will submit his completed case report and then the prosecutors will make a decision about whether to upgrade those charges.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The state police investigation remains open and active and the formal police report on the incident has not yet been filed with county officials, Hodges said.<\/span><\/p>\n

County and state prosecutors didn\u2019t immediately return requests for comment.<\/span><\/p>\n

The FBI is assisting state and local authorities to see whether there were any violations of federal law, but an FBI spokesman declined to comment Monday on a possible motive.<\/span><\/p>\n

Boucher\u2019s attorney, Matthew J. Baker, said Monday that the two men have been neighbors for 17 years and are both \u201cprominent members\u201d of the Bowling Green medical community and had worked together in the past. Paul is an ophthalmologist and Boucher is a retired anesthesiologist.<\/span><\/p>\n

What could cause Boucher to attack Paul and break five of his ribs remained unclear on Monday. Baker didn\u2019t immediately clarify his statement, and a number listed for Boucher went unanswered on Monday.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe sincerely hope that Senator Paul is doing well and that these two gentlemen can get back to being neighbors as quickly as possible,\u201d Baker added.<\/span><\/p>\n

Paul did not return to Washington on Monday as he normally would for U.S. Senate proceedings, according to his chief of staff, Doug Stafford.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a pending, serious criminal matter involving state and federal authorities. We won\u2019t have any further comments at this time,\u201d Stafford said in an email.<\/span><\/p>\n

After the incident on Friday, Paul told police that Boucher had come onto his property and tackled the senator from behind, \u201cforcing him to the ground and causing him pain,\u201d according to the criminal complaint.<\/span><\/p>\n

Boucher admitted to \u201cgoing onto Paul\u2019s property and tackling him,\u201d the report said.<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition to his broken ribs, Paul suffered small cuts to the nose and mouth area.<\/span><\/p>\n

Boucher was released Saturday on bond and ordered to not have any contact with Paul, his family or offices or to obtain any firearms or weapons of any kind, according to bond paperwork provided by the county.<\/span><\/p>\n

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Monday wished his Bluegrass State colleague a speedy recovery. McConnell told reporters in Kentucky that Paul\u2019s absence creates another challenge in what he described as a daily \u201cMaalox moment\u201d prompted by the struggles to hold together his 52-member caucus, according to the Associated Press.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s potentially a challenge\u201d any time a Republican senator is absent from the Senate, McConnell added, because his caucus isn\u2019t \u201calways totally in lockstep,\u201d the AP reported.<\/span><\/p>\n

Even as local authorities tried to piece together charges and a potential motive, there was an effort among some in national conservative media circles to find a political motive for the attack.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Daily Caller noted that Boucher had been a registered Democrat and shared a post from his Facebook page \u201cciting left-wing academic Noam Chomsky\u2019s criticism of the Republican party.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The Blaze, Glenn Beck\u2019s online news site, told readers on Sunday that FBI investigators believed \u201cthe attack, which occurred Friday afternoon, was politically motivated.\u201d That claim, widely circulated on Monday, came from a report on Kentucky\u2019s WNKY-TV, which did not quote or name a source. As Paul\u2019s office kept mostly quiet about the case, speculation ran rampant.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt appears that Boucher\u2019s assault of the Republican senator is another instance of political violence prompted by the climate of hate that has been fostered by the Democratic Party,\u201d wrote John Hinderaker on the conservative blog Powerline. \u201cWhere will it end?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The conservative Media Research Center, citing the Facebook posts, told subscribers to its newsletter that \u201cRand Paul\u2019s Injuries From His \u2018Socialist\u2019 Neighbor May Be Worse Than First Thought.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Source:-\u00a0https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/powerpost\/rand-pauls-alleged-attacker-may-face-upgraded-charges-police-say\/2017\/11\/06\/504b24f8-c313-11e7-afe9-4f60b5a6c4a0_story.html?utm_term=.5d33ce40e329<\/span><\/p>\n

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