PD: Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne investigated for property hit-and-run crash

PHOENIX - Phoenix police say they're investigating a hit-and-run vehicle accident involving state Attorney General Tom Horne.

But Horne said Monday that he backed into someone's bumper and it's not really a hit-and-run case.

Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery won't provide details other than an FBI investigation into campaign finance matters involving Horne unearthed information about a hit-and-run accident.

Phoenix Police confirm they're investigating a March 27 hit-and-run collision involving Horne that occurred at 202 West Roosevelt.

Horne said he was "backing out of a parking space" and he "backed into someone else's bumper."

He says he didn't see any damage and didn't leave his name and number. Horne says he later contacted Montgomery's office about it and never heard back.

In an announcement earlier in the day from Montgomery, he said he will take civil enforcement action against Horne for alleged campaign finance violations in the 2010 election cycle.

Crump said the investigation into the property hit-and-run crash will take several weeks to complete.

In an interview with ABC15 Investigator Dave Biscobing, Horne said he didn’t remember why he was at the address.

The FBI also won’t say how or why they came across this hit-and-run case.

But we have discovered that the address is the same as one of Horne’s employees and personal friends: Carmen Chenal.

If Chenal’s name sounds familiar, that’s because one month ago the ABC15 Investigators revealed her personal relationship with Horne has come under scrutiny.

Horne confirmed to Biscobing that the address was one for Chenal. But he said that he wasn’t there to see her.

When asked why he was at the address the day of the accident, the Attorney General said he couldn’t specifically remember.

“This is last march so I can’t tell you what I was doing,” Horne said.

Horne also said he was not driving his own car.

He would not say who’s car it was. He only identified the owner as a woman and friend, adding that he paid that person about $150 for repairs.

The ABC15 Investigators began looking at Chenal’s history with the Attorney General after she was hired to a six-figure job even those she had lost her law license in 2005 for repeated violations.

You can read more about the violations by putting Carmen Chenal's name into this database of Arizona lawyers kept by the Arizona State Bar

In our story in late August, we revealed that Horne testified to help Chenal get her license back.

We also learned Chenal worked for Horne at the Arizona Education Department for several years.

Chenal became connected to the FBI case because of a separate internal investigation launched by Horne in 2011 after word of her past and new job hit the news.

Documents show, Horne ordered members of his staff to find out who leaked information about her legal history.

That investigation last several months.

During that internal investigation, one of the investigators, Meg Hinchey, uncovered allegations of the illegal campaign activity, forwarded the information and became an FBI whistleblower.