HOULTON – A Fort Kent man who allegedly shot out the back window of a van driven by his wife is being held in the Aroostook County Jail pending his next court appearance, his attorney said Friday.

Jeremy Fortin, 26, charged with two felonies involving a dangerous weapon, is scheduled to appear Dec. 9 in District Court in Madawaska. He could be indicted by an Aroostook County grand jury before that date, said Fortin’s court-appointed attorney, Eugene J. McLaughlin Jr. of Presque Isle.

Fortin appeared Tuesday in District Court in Caribou for a bail hearing. He is being held in lieu of $20,000 cash bail.

Originally held on a charge of domestic assault, Fortin now is charged with criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon and reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon, both felonies, McLaughlin said.

Assistant District Attorney Catherine Francke was in court Friday and could not be reached for comment.

Fortin was hunting last Monday with his wife, Summer Fortin, and three children, ages 4, 3 and 1, when an argument erupted between the two adults. Police said the fight reportedly escalated into a physical assault.

After Fortin left the family van, he allegedly fired his 20-gauge shotgun through the back window of the van. His wife drove away and sought help from Joel St. Peter in Van Buren.

Some debris struck Summer Fortin, but the woman was not hit by the gun’s pellets. She was treated at Cary Medical Center at Caribou and was released. The children were unhurt.

Just one shot was fired in the incident, according to Sgt. John Cote of the Criminal Investigation Division of the Maine State Police.

Fortin was arrested a short time later without further incident.

Fortin’s police record dates back to 1996, when he was convicted of criminal mischief while a student at the University of Maine at Fort Kent. He also has been convicted of furnishing liquor to a minor and criminal trespass in 2001 and assault in September 2002.