A judge in Warren Circuit Court ruled on Monday that the neighbor who attacked Kentucky U.S. Senator Rand Paul over yard debris must stay away from the Republican lawmaker and his family.
Senator Rand Paul suffered broken ribs and pneumonia after his Bowling Green neighbor, retired anesthesiologist Rene Boucher, attacked him over yard maintenance in November. The day before that attack, Boucher trespassed onto Paul’s property and set fire to yard debris. Boucher suffered some burns in the process.
Judge Tyler Gill imposed a temporary restraining order, suggesting Boucher may have taken some medication for the burns, or had other causes for what seems unreasonable and unstable behavior based on yard debris.
Attorney Tom Kerrick represents Senator Paul.
“I think the court, like many of us, was simply struggling with why did Dr. Boucher do this. Was he improperly medicated, was he intoxicated, was there something else going on?" said Kerrick. "We simply don’t know at this point in time because we haven’t been able to ask those questions.”
Boucher will be required to stay 200 feet away from Senator Paul and his family at their adjoining homes. If Boucher should encounter any Paul family member in the neighborhood or other place, he must stay at least 50 feet away.
“We felt as though there were indications of Dr. Boucher obsessing about, if you take what he says, the yard maintenance and that we just felt like the temporary injunction was necessary to protect not only Senator Paul, but also his wife and family," said Kerrick.
Boucher already pleaded guilty to the attack in federal court and completed a 30-day sentence at a Chicago correctional facility, in addition to paying a $10,000 fine.
In another issue in this civil case, Paul is requesting monetary damages for medical bills and other suffering. The judge set a status conference on the case for Dec. 3 related to trials that are expected to be held early in 2019, one on the monetary damages the senator is claiming and a separate trial to consider whether to extend the restraining order.
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