Federal prosecutors recommend 21 months in jail for Sen. Rand Paul's neighbor, Rene Boucher

U.S. Senator Rand Paul's neighbor turned attacker, 58-year-old Rene Boucher, could see up to 21 months in prison for attacking the politician because he was stacking leaves on a pile near his property and he "had enough."

In a plea agreement released Friday and signed by Boucher, prosecutors recommended a 21-month sentence for the retired anesthesiologist.

Court documents claim Paul was mowing his yard on Nov. 3 and wearing headphones when Boucher "had enough" after witnessing Paul stacking brush on a pile near his property.

Boucher ran downhill towards Paul, forcefully tackling him. Paul received six broken ribs from the incident and described recovering from his injuries as a "living hell" on CBS News.

Paul, for nearly three months, never publicly addressed the motive behind the attack saying, "I just don't think of any kind of motivation or justification, whether it's political or personal, to attack someone who's unaware from behind in their own yard."

Josh J. Minkler, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, said in a statement that all defendants are presumed innocent until proven otherwise in court. Boucher could face up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Bradley P. Shepard.

Background: Rene Boucher charged with felony assault against Bowling Green neighbor Sen. Rand Paul

More: US Sen. Rand Paul calls alleged neighbor assault a 'living hell'

Boucher admitted to going on the senator's property in November and tackling him, according to an arrest warrant from Kentucky State Police. He pleaded not guilty to fourth-degree assault, a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a $500 fine. He was ordered to stay 1,000 feet away from Paul and his family.

Jim Skaggs, the developer of the Rivergreen gated community in Bowling Green where the two men live, told Courier Journal it might have stemmed from Paul allegedly blowing lawn trimmings into his neighbor's yard.

"I think this is something that has been festering," Skaggs told Courier Journal at the time. "... I wanted to build a place where everyone could get along, but I guess that's just impossible."

In the plea agreement signed by Boucher, it states that the attack was not politically motivated but rather that it was a "property dispute that had finally boiled over."

In a previous statement, Doug Stafford, a senior adviser to Paul, said Paul and his family have not talked with his neighbor in roughly 10 years and that there was no dispute between the men.

Thomas Novelly: 502-582-4465; tnovelly@courierjournal.com; Twitter: @TomNovelly. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: www.courier-journal.com/tomn.