Oregon State Police announced Friday an arrest connected to a series of shootings along Interstate 5 in Southern Oregon.
The agency said it arrested Kenneth Ayers, 49, of Roseburg on Thursday.
Ayers was arrested in connection to a shooting Wednesday that injured a woman while she was driving on the interstate. The woman was transported to a hospital where she was treated for her injuries and released, according to a news release from OSP.
Ayers was lodged in the Jackson County Jail on Thursday, the agency said, and is the suspect in a series of shootings that have been happening on I-5 since May.
Ayers faces several charges including attempted murder, unlawful use of a weapon and recklessly endangering another person, OSP said. The Medford Mail Tribune reports that several drivers on the highway reported hearing a sound and then found damage to their vehicles. It is not clear if the shots were fired from a vehicle or from a stationary position.
District attorneys from Douglas and Josephine counties will work on additional charges with the Jackson County District Attorney’s Office, OSP said. Those charges will then be presented to a Jackson County grand jury.
According to court records, Ayers does not have a history of violent incidents, though he has had a number of traffic violations, occurring as recently as 2010, as well as felony charges in a 1988 incident.
In that felony case, Ayers faced charges including second degree burglary, unauthorized use of a vehicle and reckless driving. Court records say he entered an auto body shop and stole a woman’s car.
That case was eventually dismissed when it was determined Ayers was a minor. He was 17-years-old at the time. A petition was instead filed in juvenile court.
