The head of the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce has left his job amid a Blacksburg police investigation into unspecified matters at the organization, the chamber's attorney said Tuesday.

Shane Adams, who had served as the chamber's president, chief executive officer and director of tourism for seven years, left his post effective Monday, according to a chamber statement issued Tuesday.

"My understanding is there is a police investigation," said Reid Broughton, the chamber attorney. He declined to elaborate on whether Adams resigned or was fired.

He said police on Monday picked up financial records they requested from the organization. Broughton said he did not know what the inquiry is about.

"I don't know what they're doing or how long it's going to take," he said.

Broughton said he does not know of any allegations against the chamber. Asked if he knew of any allegations against Adams, Broughton declined to comment, saying the question touched on a confidential personnel matter.

Attempts to reach Adams on Tuesday were unsuccessful.

Broughton said that Adams' attorney is Lynchburg-based John Falcone. Falcone could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

Blacksburg police Sgt. Nathan O'Dell said he could not say whether police are investigating.

Chamber vice president Aradia Zenobia confirmed that she is acting as president of the chamber.

Adams was named the chamber's first executive director in 2002 after the formerly independent Blacksburg and Christiansburg-Montgomery chambers merged into a new Montgomery County chamber.

Under Adams' leadership, the chamber won multiple awards, including a Shining Star Heritage Tourism award from the Virginia Association of Convention & Visitors Bureaus and the 2008 Best Chamber and Visitors Center in the Southeast from the Southeast Tourism Society.

Last year, he was appointed chairman of the board of regents for the Institute for Organization Management, a four-year professional development program for students sponsored by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Adams' 2007-08 compensation was $78,563, according to tax documents filed in August.

Separately, Adams' wife, Dawn Adams, recently left her chamber job as Leadership New River Valley coordinator, Zenobia confirmed.

Dawn Adams was previously employed as executive director of the Pulaski County Chamber of Commerce from September 2006 until October 2007. Before that, she was employed at the Jacksonville (Florida) Chamber of Commerce.

Late last month, the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors discussed modifying the county's tourism agreement with the chamber.

In November, the Christiansburg Town Council voted to cap the contributions given to the chamber and to shift money into doing its own promotion.

In 2004, Christiansburg, Blacksburg and Montgomery County agreed to increase their transient occupancy taxes -- the tax paid by visitors to hotels -- and dedicate 1 percent of the increase for tourism and marketing services provided by the chamber.

Blacksburg then raised its 6 percent tax to 7 percent, and Christiansburg increased its 5 percent tax to 7 percent. Montgomery County went from 3.5 percent to 4.5 percent. But because Christiansburg has many more hotels than the two other jurisdictions, the town collects more tax money and contributes more to the tourism initiative.

Staff writer Shawna Morrison contributed to this report.