CALIFORNIA: GOP “Christian Soldier” Candidate For Governor Arrested For Shooting Man And Killing Horse

A registered sex offender who ran in this year’s California GOP gubernatorial primary as a reformed “Christian soldier” has been arrested for shooting a man and killing a horse.

Tye “Glenn” Champ, 48, was arrested without incident a day after Fresno County Sheriff’s officials say he opened fire during a dispute with his neighbor in Prather, a community about 30 miles northeast of Fresno. Lt. John Golden said Champ drew a pistol on his 40-year-old neighbor and the neighbor’s 13-year-old son over work being done on a private road, and shot the man. He is also accused of killing a nearby horse that belonged to the injured man. It was not immediately clear whether Champ had an attorney. Officials said he fled from the shooting in a blue Volkswagen sedan, and deputies in neighboring Tulare County arrested Champ on Friday morning during a traffic stop. He was wanted on suspicion of attempted murder, child endangerment and animal cruelty. The shooting victim underwent surgery and is expected to survive, Golden said.

During a stump speech at the California GOP convention earlier this year, Champ said, “A man of God cannot be bought by money, because we’ve already been bought by the blood of Jesus Christ. I do not want anybody else to be enslaved because of lack of knowledge, and that’s what our government is trying to do.”