The mayor of a small Oregon city who iis accused of opening hearth on motorists in a Halloween night time highway rage incident was arrested Tuesday, authorities stated.
A household of 4 was touring south on Freeway 281 close to Parkdale at 8:43 p.m. Monday, “following behind an SUV that was driving erratically,” in accordance with a press release from the Hood River County Sheriff’s Workplace.
When the SUV pulled over, the household “slowed to get an outline of the suspect car,” earlier than a “male topic stepped out of the passenger aspect and fired a number of rounds from a handgun on the passing” automobile, in accordance with the sheriff.
The alleged shooter was later recognized as Dowen Jones, the 47-year-old mayor Rufus, a metropolis with fewer that 270 residents about 100 miles east of downtown Portland, the sheriff stated.
Nobody within the household automobile, two adults and two kids, 5 and eight years previous, was wounded.
Jones was booked on suspicion of tried homicide and 4 counts of tried assault.
He is being held in lieu of $100,000 bail and made a quick courtroom look Wednesday.
Jones didn’t instantly qualify for a public defender and should rent an lawyer earlier than his subsequent courtroom look, set for Nov. 10, officers stated.
Rufus Metropolis Administrator Brenda Coleman declined remark Wednesday afternoon, and nobody picked up a publicly listed cellphone quantity for Jones.
Jones, an electrician in his 9-to-5 life, gained election in 2018, amassing 76 votes, far forward of candidates who obtained 4 write-in votes.
Council President Scott Holliday stated his fellow lawmakers have but to satisfy to debate what motion may or must be taken in opposition to Jones.
The allegations are completely out of character for the popular mayor, in accordance with Holliday.
“It is horrible. He is man. It is loopy,” Holliday stated Wednesday afternoon.
“No one understands what precisely occurred, a lot much less why. Individuals suppose the world of him. He is only a good man. So it is very, very grieving for one thing like this (to occur). No one needs to see any person that they like, that they know and that they like quite a bit, in hassle.”
Donna Mendell contributed.
