Man accused of stabbing Senate staffer after prison release

WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S. Senate staffer remained hospitalized Tuesday after police say he was attacked leaving a restaurant in Washington this weekend by a man who had been released from federal prison a day earlier.

The suspect, Glynn Neal, 42, was arrested on a charge of assault with intent to kill after Saturday’s attack. The federal Bureau of Prisons told The Associated Press Neal had been released from a federal prison in Maryland on Friday.

Investigators believe the attack was random. The victim, Philip Todd — who works for Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky — told investigators he had never seen his attacker before and that Neal didn’t say or demand anything before he stabbed him.

He said Neal had appeared from around a corner and attacked him as he was walking with a friend.

Neal had been released after earning so-called “good time credit,” the Bureau of Prisons said.

Police found Neal after an officer saw a cell phone that was dropped at the scene. Court documents obtained by AP said Neal told officers he heard a voice “telling him that someone was going to get him” shortly before the attack.

Todd suffered a punctured lung and potential brain bleeding, according to court documents.

A defense attorney for Neal did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

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Associated Press writer Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this story.