PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The former mayor of a small Oregon town has been sentenced in connection to a road rage shooting that occurred last Halloween.
On Aug. 17, former Rufus mayor Dowen Jones was convicted for four counts of attempting to commit a Class-A felony and sentenced to 18 months in prison. His attempted murder charge was dismissed.
The incident occurred just before 8:45 p.m. on Oct. 31, 2022. According to the Hood River Sheriff’s Office, a family of four was traveling south on Hwy 281 when they saw Jones driving erratically in his vehicle.
Officials said he abruptly pulled over on the highway, prompting the family to slow their vehicle in an attempt to record a description of Jones’ SUV. Then, the Sheriff’s Office alleged that the former mayor exited his vehicle and fired his handgun toward the family several times.
The two adults and two children, ages 5 and 8, that were in the car weren’t injured. However, the vehicle was left damaged after the incident.
In addition to Jones’ 18-month sentence, he was ordered to stop all contact with the family and to forfeit his weapons. According to court documents, Jones was also ordered to move away from Parkdale and pay a fine of more than $13,000.
Austin Evans replaced Jones as the mayor of Rufus at the beginning of this year.
