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Man Arrested for Threatening to Kill Senator Rand Paul

WFPL
Credit WFPL

U.S. Capitol Police have arrested a man accused of threatening to kill Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky and his family.  The Republican lawmaker acknowledged the threat during a visit to Grayson County on Monday.

Speaking to the Leitchfield Rotary Club, Senator Paul said the man threatened to “chop up” him and his family with an ax.  The threat was allegedly phoned in to Paul’s Bowling Green office.  Kentucky’s junior U.S. Senator acknowledged the arrest in a tweet on Monday, but U.S. Capitol Police released no information.

"We do not comment on ongoing investigations," said Communications Director Eva Malecki in an email to WKU Public Radio.

Last summer, Paul and other congressional lawmakers were shot at during a baseball practice in Alexandria, Virginia.  The senator’s neighbor was sentenced last month to 30 days in jail for assaulting Paul outside his Bowling Green home last fall.  The neighbor, Rene Boucher, said he had “had enough” of Paul’s yard debris on the property line. 

Senator Paul also has a civil case pending against Boucher that seeks a no contact order and unspecificed monetary damages.

Copyright 2018 WKU Public Radio

Lisa is a Scottsville native and WKU alum. She has worked in radio as a news reporter and anchor for 18 years. Prior to joining WKU Public Radio, she most recently worked at WHAS in Louisville and WLAC in Nashville. She has received numerous awards from the Associated Press, including Best Reporter in Kentucky. Many of her stories have been heard on NPR.