The mayor of a town in Oregon was arrested for attempted murder Monday following an apparent road rage incident that left a car with a family inside damaged by bullets, police said.
Law enforcement arrested Dowen Jones, the mayor of Rufus, Oregon, Tuesday on attempted murder and multiple assault charges for allegedly using a handgun to shoot at a car occupied by two adults and two children, ages 5 and 8. None of the occupants were hurt, but their car sustained damage, authorities said.
The incident happened at 8:43 p.m. Monday night in Parkdale, Oregon when the family was driving behind an SUV that was “driving erratically” on the highway, the Hood River County Sheriff’s Office said in a new release. Then the SUV suddenly pulled over.
“The family slowed to get a description of the suspect vehicle for the purpose of reporting the erratic driving to the Sheriff’s Office,” the sheriff’ statement read. “As the family passed the suspect vehicle, a male subject stepped out of the passenger side and fired multiple rounds from a handgun at the passing family.”
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The sheriff’s office identified Jones and his vehicle and arrested the 47-year-old in Rufus Tuesday. Jail records on Wednesday showed a bail had not yet been set for Jones. It was unclear whether he had obtained a lawyer.
An investigation into the incident was ongoing, the sheriff’s office said.
Rufus is a small riverfront town with a population of 211, according to Census Reporter. It’s located just over 100 miles east of Portland, and sits on the border of Oregon and Washington along the Columbia River.
Jones’ term as mayor was set to expire at the end of the year, according to Rufus’ website. Who would replace Jones as acting mayor was unclear Wednesday. An inquiry to Rufus by USA TODAY was not immediately returned.