Sister unloads rifle on truck brother is in
MARION TWP — Bad blood between siblings turned into gunfire this week when a sister unloaded a rifle — at least a half dozen times — at a pickup truck occupied by her big brother, authorities said.
Matthew N. Ford, 28, of Venango Township was not hit, state police said. But the truck, owned by his fiancee, was not as lucky.
Police counted four bullet holes in the Ford Ranger's tailgate and two in the hood.
But the alleged shooter, Amber R. Cubbage, 26, of Marion Township, was not arrested until Tuesday, two days after the shooting.
Investigators said Ford never bothered to report what happened. Police only learned about the alleged crime after his understandably angry girlfriend discovered her bullet-ridden truck.
But by then, Ford was in the Mercer County Jail on other, unrelated charges, including having led state police on a high-speed chase in the same truck less than 24 hours after the shooting.
Ford's strange day Sunday began shortly after midnight when he drove to Cubbage's house on Windy Point Road. The reason for his intended visit, police said, was “to harass his sister.”
Once there, he traveled up and down the road “burning tire and revving the motor” for 40 minutes, according to charging documents.
Ford's alleged plan to bug his sister apparently worked. She and her husband went outside, armed with a .22-caliber rifle, to confront him, police said.
The siblings argued but when Ford refused to stop his drive-by harassment, Cubbage allegedly took matters into her own hands.
She fired the single-shot rifle repeatedly, investigators said.
Police noted the evidence collected suggested “Ford continued to drive up and down the road long enough for Cubbage to shoot and reload at least six times.”
He eventually drove away but apparently told no one about the encounter with his little sister.Later that night, police said, troopers about 11 p.m. spotted Ford's truck run a stop sign and cross the double-yellow line on Route 308 in Venango Township.When police tried to pull him over, he sped away. He continued south on Route 308 and eventually turned east onto Route 58. He led troopers on a six-mile, high-speed chase that ended at his home on Gibson Street.Police soon suspected he had too much to drink. He admitted having “a few beers” earlier that evening but refused to take a blood test, according to a police affidavit.He was arrested for the suspected drunken driving chase. The troopers also discovered he was wanted on a bench warrant for not paying fines in connection with a 2011 burglary case in Mercer County.He was placed in the Mercer County Jail for the warrant about 1 a.m. Monday.Later that afternoon, he was returned to Butler County long enough to be arraigned on a felony charge of fleeing police and a misdemeanor charge of driving under the influence stemming from the chase.The shooting eventually came to light Monday after Ford's fiance got her truck back from authorities following his arrest. She saw the bullet holes and called police.That call opened the investigation that led to Cubbage's arrest Tuesday.She is charged with multiple counts of aggravated assault, reckless endangerment and criminal mischief. She also is charged with shooting at an occupied vehicle.Cubbage is free on $5,000 bail.Police charged Ford with disorderly conduct in connection with the shooting incident.
