Former California gubernatorial candidate arrested on attempted murder charges

FRESNO, Calif. (KABC) -- The Fresno County Sheriff's Office say Tye "Glenn" Champ, a former California gubernatorial candidate, was arrested for allegedly shooting his neighbor and his neighbor's horse.

Deputies responded to reports of a shooting in the 31000 block of Lynx Road in Prather Thursday. When they arrived, they found at 40-year-old man who had been shot in the stomach. The victim was taken by air-ambulance to Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno, where he underwent surgery.

Witnesses told investigators two neighbors got into an argument over work being done on a private road. They said Champ confronted the victim and his juvenile son before shooting the man with a small black pistol. As the victim and his son left, witnesses said Champ fired more shots, killing a horse.

The 48-year-old was taken into custody during a vehicle stop near Goshen around 10:30 a.m. Friday. He faces multiple charges including attempted murder, child endangerment and cruelty to animal.

Champ ran for California governor in early 2014, but he was eliminated during the June 2014 primary campaign. His name on the ballot was listed as Glenn Champ, receiving 1.8 percent of the total ballots cast.

During his campaign, Champ made headlines in several newspapers around the country after it was revealed that he was a registered sex offender. He is listed on the Megan's Law website with the offense of "assault with intent to commit a specified sex offense" after he was convicted in 1993 on two counts of assault with intent to commit rape.

In 1998, Tye Champ pleaded guilty to manslaughter charges after running over George Kozar with his pickup truck.