BOWLING GREEN — Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is recovering from a weekend assault, according to Associated Press reports.
The AP reports that Paul suffered from five broken ribs, including three displaced fractures, and lung bruising after his neighbor allegedly assaulted him Friday at his home in Bowling Green. The neighbor, identified as 59-year-old Rene Boucher, was arrested on fourth-degree assault with minor injury and was released Saturday on a $7,500 bond, according to the Associated Press. Police have not yet determined if the incident was politically motivated, however national media are reporting that Boucher was known to friends and family is “liberal.”
Boucher is an anesthesiologist and the inventor of the Therm-a-Vest, a cloth vest partly filled with rice and secured with Velcro straps that is designed to help with back pain, according to a report in the Washington Post.
Boucher is scheduled to appear Nov. 9 in court for arraignment.
Paul, a second term conservative Republican senator and 2016 presidential candidate, will likely be unable to travel for several weeks due to his injuries, according to a Washington Post report. He was reportedly mowing his lawn just before the Friday attack.