Woman arrested in fatal Vermont shooting of Border Patrol agent from Minnesota

BURLINGTON, Vt. — The FBI says an arrest has been made in connection to the fatal shooting death of a U.S. Border Patrol agent who was from Minnesota.

On Friday, FBI Albany announced a 21-year-old woman from Washington state, Teresa Youngblut, was arrested in David “Chris” Maland’s death in Vermont. 

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Vermont has since charged Youngblut with assault on a federal law enforcement officer.

“Our hearts remain with our partners at U.S. Border Patrol Swanton Sector as they mourn this tremendous loss,” the FBI said. 

Maland, who was born in Blue Earth, Minnesota, was killed Monday afternoon following a traffic stop, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesperson said in a statement.

According to court documents, Youngblut was driving a vehicle with a German national as the passenger when the U.S. Border Patrol stopped them for an immigration inspection. The citizen of Germany, identified as Felix Baukholt, appeared to have an expired visa in a Department of Homeland Security database. 

Shortly after, gunshots were reported at the scene. In a subsequent interview, Border Patrol agents reported that both Youngblut and Baukholt had firearms, court documents said. Youngblut allegedly drew and fired a handgun toward at least one of the agents without warning from the driver’s side of the vehicle. Baukholt attempted to draw a firearm. 

At least one of the Border Patrol agents fired their service weapon at Youngblut and Baukholt. 

Maland, Youngblut and Baukholt were all shot in the exchange of gunfire. Baukholt died at the scene. Maland was pronounced dead at an area hospital. Youngbult is continuing to receive care for her wounds. 

According to the complaint, in searches of the vehicle after the shooting, authorities found two guns and additional ammunition, along with “tactical gear” — a ballistic helmet, a night-vision monocular and a tactical belt with a holster. The search also yielded shooting range targets — some of them used — and two-way radios.

Authorities had been surveilling Youngblut and Baukholt for nearly a week prior to the shooting, the complaint states, and saw them wearing tactical gear in public on multiple occasions. On Jan. 14, a hotel employee in Vermont called law enforcement to report concerns about a couple “dressed in all-black tactical style clothing with protective equipment,” the complaint said. The employee said the woman — later identified as Youngblut — was carrying a gun in a holster. Investigators tried to talk to Youngblut and Baukholt after that, but they declined and told authorities they were in the area to look at property to buy.

The violence temporarily closed part of Interstate 91 about 20 miles from Canada in Coventry, part of the small, 27,000-resident community of Orleans County in the Northeast Kingdom section of Vermont that straddles the international border.

Maland, 44, worked security duty at the Pentagon during the time of the Sept. 11 attacks, according to his cousin, Minnesota State Rep. Krista Knudsen.

On Thursday, law enforcement from around Vermont escorted the hearse carrying the fallen agent to a funeral home. 

This is a developing story.