Police charged the neighbor, Rene Boucher, 59, with assault after he admitted to tackling Mr. Paul while the senator was mowing his lawn.
WASHINGTON — The violent altercation last week that left Senator Rand Paul nursing bruised lungs and broken ribs began with “a very regrettable dispute” between neighbors over a “trivial” matter, a lawyer for the man accused of assaulting the senator said on Monday.
The incident “has absolutely nothing to do with either’s politics or political agendas,” the lawyer, Matthew J. Baker, said in a statement. “It was a very regrettable dispute between two neighbors over a matter that most people would regard as trivial.”
Police charged the man, Rene Boucher, 59, with assault after he admitted to tackling Mr. Paul while the senator was mowing his lawn. Aides to Mr. Paul said on Sunday that the Kentucky Republican had suffered five broken ribs and bruises to his lungs. And as the rest of the Senate returned to Washington on Monday, it remained unclear when Mr. Paul would be back at work.
The incident took place on Friday on a stretch of grass on Mr. Paul’s property, between the men’s homes, in a gated community outside of Bowling Green, Ky. Mr. Boucher practiced for many years as an anesthesiologist and invented a rice-filled vest used for back pain. They had lived next door to one another for 17 years and at one point had worked at the same hospital.
“We sincerely hope that Senator Paul is doing well and that these two gentlemen can get back to being neighbors as quickly as possible,” Mr. Baker said.
He did not elaborate on the subject of the dispute. But by Monday afternoon, Mr. Baker’s comment about the “trivial” nature of the dispute prompted speculation in Washington, where Mr. Paul’s health could affect the Republicans’ narrow majority in the Senate.
Doug Stafford, a senior strategist to Mr. Paul, declined to answer questions about the dispute on Monday. He said only that it was “a pending, serious criminal matter involving state and federal authorities.”
An arrest warrant in the case said that when a Kentucky State Police trooper showed up at Mr. Paul’s home on Friday afternoon, the senator had small cuts around his nose and mouth, and had trouble breathing because of the injuries to his ribs. Mr. Boucher admitted to the police trooper that he went onto Mr. Paul’s property and tackled him, which matched Mr. Paul’s account.
Mr. Boucher was charged with fourth-degree assault and released on $7,500 bond. He is set to appear in court on Thursday. He was also ordered to not have any contact with Mr. Paul or his family and staff, and to stay at least 1,000 feet away from the senator unless Mr. Boucher was in his own home, next door.
On Sunday, Mr. Paul wrote on Twitter that the altercation was an “unfortunate event.” Initial reports described his injuries as “minor,” and a spokeswoman for Mr. Paul said the senator was “fine.”
Jackie Douglas, a neighbor of the two men, said on Monday that she was stunned when she heard about the episode, about 100 yards from her home, where she has lived for 14 years.
“We don’t have squabbles out here,” she said. “If you can afford to live out here, you tend to your own business.”
Ms. Douglas described both Mr. Paul and Mr. Boucher as “nice men.”
