NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Some Tennessee lawmakers have mysteriously received some private information that they didn't ask for.

Video: Politicians Received Unsolicited Private Info

They don't know for sure who authorized some background checks, but the discovery comes as a high ranking member of the highway patrol is under investigation.

The mystery began about two months ago when the background checks were left in the lawmakers' offices. They said they didn't think much about it until last week when the story first broke.

Inside a manila folder on Rep. Glen Casada's desk, there were several pages of information on a fellow Republican running for the Tennessee House.

There was no note, but the paperwork exposed a driving under the influence case involving that candidate, which was later expunged.

"It was information that was not available to the general public," said Casada.

Casada feels the person who left the file wanted him to share the knowledge with the candidate himself.

"Maybe in the hopes of me telling him this, it would intimidate him, so he would not run," said Casada.

Casada isn't the only lawmaker who was given the file. Republican Rep. Jason Mumpower of Bristol said he received the same information, on the same person and in the same fashion.

He also thinks the papers came from someone close to or within state government.

"I think it was meant to say, 'Hey, we know something about one of your candidates. Even if we did obtain it illegally, you better not expose anything about our guy,'" said Mumpower.

At the time, both men shrugged it off, but weeks later, they have learned that an investigation is under way into unauthorized background checks at the Tennessee Highway Patrol.

The lawmakers wonder if what they received is part of that probe.

"Seems more and more like something unscrupulous has occurred at some level of the state government," said Mumpower.

"I think physically it did or the authority to do that did come from somebody very high up, it has to be in state government. It has to be," said Casada.

THP Lt. Ronnie Shirley was recently accused of running background checks on politicians and private citizens.

It is not known if those allegations are connected to the information given to the representatives Channel 4 spoke to. Neither would reveal the candidate's identity.

On Monday House Majority Leader Gary Odom, who is a Democrat, asked the THP commissioner to release the names of the other people who may have also had their backgrounds checked as part of this probe. He also wants an independent investigation.