Sen. Rand Paul was “blindsided” and suffered a minor injury when he was attacked at his home in Bowling Green, Kentucky, police and a Paul spokesperson said Saturday.
Rene Boucher, 59, of Bowling Green, was charged with one count of fourth-degree assault in the incident, which occurred at about 3:20 p.m. local time Friday, Kentucky State Police said.
“Senator Rand Paul was blindsided and the victim of an assault,” Kelsey Cooper, Paul’s Kentucky communications director, said in a statement. “The assailant was arrested, and it is now a matter for the police. Senator Paul is fine.”
After Paul reported the assault, the Warren County Attorney’s Office issued an arrest warrant and a trooper arrested Boucher soon after, police said.
Boucher remained held Saturday in the Warren County Regional Jail.
The exact circumstances surrounding the alleged attack were not immediately known Saturday. Police said Paul had never met Boucher, and the Republican senator sustained a minor injury. An ambulance was not required.
The Kentucky State Police confirmed that the FBI were involved in the investigation, but the ongoing probe will be led by the trooper who made the arrest.