An Oregon mayor was charged with attempted murder after being accused of shooting at a family of four in a road rage incident

• The mayor of a small town is accused of shooting at a family in an alleged road rage incident.
• The family, which included a 5-year-old and an 8-year-old, was not harmed.

A small-town mayor was arrested and charged with attempted murder after being accused of shooting at a family during a road rage incident on the night of Halloween, local outlet KPTV reported.

On Monday night, a family of four called authorities after driving on Highway 281 behind an SUV that the family said had been driving "erratically" before pulling off the road.

As they slowed and passed the vehicle "to get a description of the suspect vehicle for the purpose of reporting the erratic driving to the Sheriff's Office," a man, who appeared to be Dowen Jones — the mayor of Rufus, Oregon, a town with a population of less than 300 — stepped out of the passenger side of the vehicle and shot at them, the Hood River County Sheriff's Office said in a press release.

The family, including a 5-year-old and an 8-year-old, were not struck by any bullets.

The authorities arrested Jones on Tuesday. He has been charged with one count of attempted murder and four counts of first-degree attempted assault.

The Hood River County Sheriff's Office and the Dalles Police Department are handling the investigation.

He is being held on $100,000 bail and is set to appear in court on November 10, NBC News reported.

Jones was elected in 2018 after receiving 76 votes, compared to other candidates who received four votes. Prior to serving as mayor, he was an electrician and photographer, the outlet reported.

"It's terrible. He's a good man. It's crazy," Council President Scott Holliday said Wednesday, according to NBC News.

"Nobody understands what exactly happened, much less why. People think the world of him. He's just a good guy. So it's very, very grieving for something like this (to happen). Nobody wants to see somebody that they like, that they know and that they like a lot, in trouble," Holliday continued.

The Hood River County Sheriff's Office and the Dalles Police Department did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Information on Jones' attorney was not immediately available. Insider reached out to the Rufus City Hall for comment.