--- description: Rene Boucher, the neighbor who tackled Sen. Rand Paul over a lawn care dispute, will plead guilty to assaulting a member of Congress title: Prosecutors Detail Dispute That Led to Rand Paul's Attack image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbd7bd6c7439f5152/6988f8debc6cfc796d3e4b7a/rand-paul.jpeg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Politics](/section/politics/) ## Politics Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Congress](/tag/congress/) ## Congress Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Rand Paul Was Attacked Over a Lawn Care Dispute, Prosecutors Say  by [Jamie Ducharme](/author/jamie-ducharme/)  ## Jamie Ducharme Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Ducharme is a contributor to TIME. Jan 20, 2018 3:18 PM CUT  Sen. Rand Paul answers questions during a news conference. Sen. Rand Paul answers questions during a news conference.Chip Somodevilla—Getty Images  by [Jamie Ducharme](/author/jamie-ducharme/)  ## Jamie Ducharme Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Ducharme is a contributor to TIME. Jan 20, 2018 3:18 PM CUT A [neighbor who allegedly attacked Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul](https://www.politico.com/story/2017/11/04/rand-paul-assault-home-charges-244549 "undefined") over a lawn care dispute will plead guilty after being charged with assaulting a member of Congress, a felony offense. Rene Boucher, 58, has signed a plea deal, but no date has been set for taking his guilty plea, [according to an announcement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana](https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdin/pr/kentucky-man-charged-assaulting-member-congress-0 "undefined"). Paul was mowing the lawn of his Kentucky home in November while wearing headphones when Boucher apparently witnessed him stacking brush into a pile near his property. Boucher had “had enough,” according to the release, and rushed onto Paul’s property, where he tackled him from behind. The attack left the 55-year-old senator with multiple fractured ribs, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and he later contracted pneumonia. “Assaulting a member of Congress is an offense we take very seriously,” Joshua Minkler, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, said in the statement. “Those who choose to commit such an act will be held accountable.” Boucher had previously admitted to the attack, but said it was not politically motivated, according to the release. He could face up to a decade in prison and a $250,000 fine. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5111086/rand-paul-attack-motive/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5111086/rand-paul-attack-motive/"},"headline":"Rand Paul Was Attacked Over a Lawn Care Dispute, Prosecutors Say","datePublished":"2018-01-20T15:18:42.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T18:56:57.526Z","description":"A neighbor will plead guilty to a felony offense","url":"https://time.com/5111086/rand-paul-attack-motive/","keywords":["Congress","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbd7bd6c7439f5152/6988f8debc6cfc796d3e4b7a/rand-paul.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Jamie Ducharme","jobTitle":"Ducharme is a contributor to TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/jamie-ducharme/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbd7bd6c7439f5152/6988f8debc6cfc796d3e4b7a/rand-paul.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Leading Bipartisan Senators Hold Press Conference On Section 702 FISA Reform","caption":"Leading Bipartisan Senators Hold Press Conference On Section 702 FISA Reform","creditText":"Chip Somodevilla—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/congress/","name":"Congress"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5111086/rand-paul-attack-motive/","name":"Rand Paul Was Attacked Over a Lawn Care Dispute, Prosecutors Say"}}]}] ```