BURLINGTON— A Washington state woman arrested last month in connection with the fatal shooting of a U.S. border patrol agent pleaded not guilty Friday to federal firearms charges.
A grand jury in Vermont returned a two-count indictment Thursday against 21-year-old Teresa Youngblut for her alleged role in a shooting that killed U.S. Border Patrol Agent David Maland and a passenger in her car. Â
Youngblut, who allegedly opened fire during a Jan. 20 traffic stop on Interstate 91 in Coventry, entered not guilty pleas to the two charges in federal court in Burlington.Â
One charge alleged that Youngblut “used a firearm while knowingly assaulting, resisting, opposing, impeding, intimidating, and interfering with a U.S. Border Patrol Agent while he was engaged in official duties.”
The second charge stated that Youngblut “knowingly carried, brandished and discharged a firearm” during a violent crime. Â
She has not been charged with firing the fatal shot that killed Maland.
Youngblut entered the courtroom Friday wearing shackles that court officers removed as she took a seat at the defense table alongside her attorney, Steven Barth, a federal public defender.
She wore red prison clothes and had a medical mask over part of her face. Youngblut, who was wounded in the shootout, had her right arm in a sling.
Magistrate Judge Kevin Doyle opened the roughly 10-minute hearing Friday by asking Youngblut a series of questions to make sure she understood the nature of the proceeding and the charges against her.
“Is your mind clear today,” the judge asked Youngblut.
“Yes,” she replied.
In response to a question about her level of education, Youngblut said she had “part of a bachelor’s degree.”Â
Federal authorities have alleged in court filings that Youngblut came out of a vehicle during the traffic stop and opened fire, leading to a shootout that killed Maland as well as Felix Bauckholt, a passenger in the car she had been driving.
Youngblut and Bauckholt are associated with a loose group of people who have now been linked to a double homicide in Pennsylvania and the murder of a landlord in California.Â
Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Lasher, the prosecutor, told the judge he expected to share a great deal of information during the discovery phase of the case, including law enforcement reports, dash camera footage from police vehicles at the scene as well as officers’ body camera footage.
In addition, Lasher said, there were “related case records” from other federal jurisdictions and a recorded interview with Youngblut.
Barth, Youngblut’s attorney, told the judge he expected “voluminous” discovery in the case to be provided by the prosecution.
“We do expect a wide-ranging investigation” spanning many federal districts, Barth added.Â
Youngblut was returned to the Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility in South Burlington, the state’s only women’s prison, following the hearing. She has been held at the facility without bail since her arrest days after the shootout. Â
Barth and family members of Youngblut who attended the hearing declined to comment afterwards.
If convicted of the weapons charges against her, Youngblut could face life in prison.Â
Charging documents stated that a U.S. Department of Homeland Security database showed that Bauckholt, a German national, had a visa that “appeared” to have expired when the traffic stop took place.Â
However, the FBI, which is heading the investigation, reported that its probe into the shooting showed that Bauckholt’s visa was current.
Youngblut and Bauckholt, the charging documents stated, had been under surveillance by federal authorities for about a week prior to the traffic stop. They had been spotted walking in downtown Newport wearing tactical gear “tactical dress” a day before they were pulled over, the court records stated.Â
It is not clear what the pair was doing in Vermont, but according to a local realtor, they had expressed interest in purchasing an off-the-grid property in Wheelock in the days leading up to the shooting.
Read the story on VTDigger here: Washington state woman denies charges related to fatal shooting of border patrol agent in Vermont.