BG man charged with assaulting Paul at senator's home
By DON SERGENT
dsergent@bgdailynews.com Nov 4, 2017 Updated 2 hrs ago
A Bowling Green man was arrested Friday and charged with fourth-degree assault after an incident at the Bowling Green home of U.S. Sen. Rand Paul.
Rene Boucher, 59, is in the Warren County Regional Jail in lieu of a $5,000 bond, according to online jail records available Saturday afternoon.
Paul suffered minor injuries, according to a news release from Kentucky State Police Post 3 in Bowling Green.
Kelsey Cooper, Paul's Kentucky communications director, issued a statement to the Daily News indicating that "Senator Paul is fine."
"Senator Paul was blindsided and the victim of an assault," Cooper said in an email. "The assailant was arrested and it is now a matter for the police.”
The arrest warrant in the case indicates that Paul told police his neighbor came onto his property and tackled him from behind, forcing him to the ground and causing pain. According to the warrant, Paul had injuries to his face and had trouble breathing due to a rib injury.
The KSP news release said troopers were called to the Paul residence at 3:21 p.m. Friday. According to the release, Boucher was arrested by Trooper Bartley Weaver and charged with assaulting Paul, a Republican who has been Kentucky's junior senator since 2011.
The Warren County property valuation administrator's website lists an address for a Rene Boucher on Rivergreen Lane, which is in the gated neighborhood just east of Bowling Green where Paul also resides.
Boucher is a Bowling Green anesthesiologist and pain specialist who developed a product called Therm-a-Vest, a cloth vest partially filled with rice and secured by Velcro straps that is designed to relieve back pain by delivering heat directly to the areas of the back where most pain is felt.
Boucher applied for a patent for the vest in 2003 and has marketed it through the QVC shopping channel.
An arrest warrant for Boucher was issued through the Warren County Attorney's office. The charge of fourth-degree assault is a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to 12 months in jail. Warren County Attorney Amy Milliken said further charges could be brought, based on the extent of Paul's injuries.
The investigation by Weaver is continuing, and no other details were immediately available.
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