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Sen. Rand Paul was tackled by his neighbor, Rene Boucher, in Kentucky last November. On Friday, Boucher was sentenced to 30 days in prison. Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Images hide caption

Sen. Rand Paul was tackled by his neighbor, Rene Boucher, in Kentucky last November. On Friday, Boucher was sentenced to 30 days in prison.

The neighbor who attacked Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, breaking six of his ribs, was sentenced to 30 days in prison by a federal court on Friday.

It was a November day in the city of Bowling Green when Rene Boucher, a physician, says he lost his temper over debris that had piled up near the property line between his home and Paul's. When he saw the Republican senator outside, he tackled him resulting in broken ribs and bouts of pneumonia.

Boucher was released on a $7,500 bond after spending nearly a day at the county jail, NPR's Bill Chappell reported. In March, he pleaded guilty to assaulting a member of Congress.

The prosecutor told the court on Friday that the Paul family is still feeling the repercussions of the attack. Just standing in their yard makes them feel "apprehensive," the prosecutor said, according to the Bowling Green Daily News.

Boucher apologized in court for his behavior. "What I did was wrong and I'm sincerely sorry for what I did," the newspaper reported that he said. "It's not something I'm proud of, I'm embarrassed and I hope (Paul) and his family will one day be able to accept my apology, if possible."

He received a 30-day sentence, in addition to a $10,000 fine, 100 hours of community service and a year of supervised release, the Bowling Green Daily News reported.

Federal prosecutors had sought a prison sentence of 21 months.

U.S. District Judge Marianne Battani called the attack an "isolated incident" that was not spurred by politics, The Associated Press reported.

"I know it's a heavy burden to be a convicted felon, but I hope you can forgive yourself and go on with your life," Battani reportedly told him. "I hope the Pauls can forgive you, but ultimately, that you can forgive yourself."

Paul did not attend the sentencing.

In an emailed statement the lawmaker said:

"No one deserves to be violently assaulted. A felony conviction with jail time is appropriate and hopefully will deter the attacker from further violence. I commend the FBI and Department of Justice for treating this violent, pre-meditated assault with the seriousness it deserves."

But as for Boucher's prison sentence of 30 days, Paul said, "The original 21-month sentence requested would have been the appropriate punishment."

Continued here:
Neighbor Who Attacked Sen. Rand Paul Sentenced To 30 Days ...

BOWLING GREEN, Kentucky U.S. Sen. Rand Paul's neighbor has been sentenced to 30 days in prison for attacking him in a dispute over yard waste, and the Republican lawmaker says he's fine with that.

Rene Boucher pleaded guilty to assaulting a member of Congress. Boucher complained that Paul stacked debris near their property line in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Paul said he hadn't spoken to Boucher for years.

Boucher said he spoke with members of the homeowner's association about his complaint, but a Paul spokesman says the senator didn't hear from the association. Paul's statement says "any description of this attack that implies a 'yard dispute' justifies such violence and misses the point."

According to the arrest warrant for Boucher, Paul suffered "small cuts to the nose and mouth area, and had trouble breathing." The attack left Paul withsix broken ribs, cuts on his face and fluid buildup in his chest. He was later diagnosed with pneumonia.

U.S. District Judge Marianne Battani called November's attack a "dispute between neighbors" and an "isolated incident," not motivated by politics. Boucher also must serve a year of supervised release. Federal prosecutors sought 21 months, but a statement from Paul calls 30 days "appropriate."

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Sen. Rand Paul's neighbor sentenced to 30 days for ...

Rene Boucher, left, is scheduled to be sentenced Friday for his assault on U.S. Sen. Rand Paul. (Daily News of Bowling Green/AP, File)

A neighbor who attacked U.S. Sen. Rand Paul at his Kentucky home last fall "lost his temper" over yard debris that Paul allegedly placed on the property line between their homes, according to documents filed in federal court last week.

The neighbor, Dr. Rene Boucher, has pleaded guilty to assaulting a member of Congress in connection with the Nov. 3 confrontation and is due to be sentenced Friday. Prosecutors are seeking a 21-month prison sentence. Boucher is asking a judge to grant probation in the case.

A sentencing memorandum filed by Boucher's attorney, Matt Baker, said Paul repeatedly placed "unsightly" yard debris near the property line. On the day before the attack, Boucher burned some debris left by Paul, according to the document obtained by the Daily News of Bowling Green. The next day, Paul placed more debris on the spot where the pile had been burned, it said.

The filing argued that putting Boucher in prison would serve no useful purpose.

"Other than the isolated incident that is in issue, Dr. Boucher has been a pillar of his community, a solid citizen, a family man and a devout Christian," Baker wrote.

It said the disagreement over yard debris dates back to September 2017, when Paul piled a 10-foot-wide stack of limbs onto a spot near Boucher's property. The pile sat until October, when Boucher picked it up and hauled it away in portable dumpsters.

"Even though this debris was not on Dr. Boucher's property, he viewed it as unsightly as it was placed directly in his line of sight from his patio and the back door of his house," the court record said.

Two more piles of debris appeared in the same month, and Boucher burned the pile on Nov. 2. Boucher used gasoline and suffered second-degree burns that he needed treatment for, the memorandum said.

The next day, Paul used his lawnmower to blow leaves onto Boucher's yard and then made another branch pile in the same spot, it said.

"As Dr. Boucher has stated throughout, he lost his temper and tackled Rand Paul as Paul was carrying branches from another location on his property and placing them on the property line," the memorandum said.

Boucher also denied that the dispute was fueled by political differences with Paul, a Republican.

"Dr. Boucher has adamantly denied any such political motivations throughout, as even the suggestion of them is completely unfounded and simply not true," the memorandum said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Neighbor who attacked Sen. Rand Paul was upset over yard ...

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) was left with six broken ribs, including three displaced fractures, and months of intense pain that felt like 1,000 knives after his neighbor attacked him last year. The assailant, Dr. Rene Boucher, attacked Paul while he was mowing his lawn. The senator had just stepped off the lawn mower and was wearing silencing earmuffs and never saw or heard his neighbor coming.

Contrary to original rumors, Boucher's attack on the senator was not about politics. He was upset about yard debris, according to new court documents. From the Associated Press:

It said the disagreement over yard debris dates back to September 2017, when Paul piled a 10-foot-wide (3-meter-wide) stack of limbs onto a spot near Bouchers property. The pile sat until October, when Boucher picked it up and hauled it away in portable dumpsters.

Even though this debris was not on Dr. Bouchers property, he viewed it as unsightly as it was placed directly in his line of sight from his patio and the back door of his house, the court record said.

Two more piles of debris appeared in the same month, and Boucher burned the pile on Nov. 2. Boucher used gasoline and suffered second-degree burns that he needed treatment for, the memorandum said.

The next day, Paul used his lawnmower to blow leaves onto Bouchers yard and then made another branch pile in the same spot, it said.

As Dr. Boucher has stated throughout, he lost his temper and tackled Rand Paul as Paul was carrying branches from another location on his property and placing them on the property line, the memorandum said.

Boucher, formally requested to be placed on probation in court on Friday. Special Prosecutor Bradley Shepard had his own request: a 21-month prison sentence. Sentencing is this Friday.

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We Finally Know Why Rand Paul's Neighbor Attacked Him ...

Sen. Rand Paul said Tuesday he believes President Trump understands Congress is the body that authorizes war not the president as lawmakers begin to debate whether to extend war powers to Mr. Trump for use against the Islamic State.

Lawmakers will hold a hearing Wednesday as they weigh updating the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF), which granted the president permission to go after terrorists responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, and then to unseat Saddam Hussein in Iraq.

In the years since, however, al Qaeda has changed, and the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, has arisen as the new global terrorist network, including claiming responsibility for this weeks attack in Britain.

Some legal analysts have suggested the current AUMF doesnt authorize strikes against the Islamic State, and lawmakers are proposing new legislation to update the presidents authority.

But Mr. Paul has warned some of the new proposals pushed by his colleagues would give the president unlimited war powers.

I do think the president is with me on this on the Constitution. Our founding fathers are with me on this too, Mr. Paul told Fox News Tuesday.

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Rand Paul warns against president's unlimited war powers ...