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@ Chuck Darwin
2025-02-23 16:51:01
On Jan. 14, a hotel employee in Vermont
called law enforcement to report
that two young people had checked into the hotel and were acting oddly
— wearing black tactical-style clothing and carrying a gun.
Investigators spoke briefly with the pair,
whom they identified as Youngblut and Bauckholt,
who claimed they were in the area to look at property,
according to a law enforcement affidavit filed in federal court.
On the afternoon of Jan. 20, Border Patrol agents pulled the pair over as they drove along Interstate 91 in a Prius.
Youngblut, the driver, allegedly drew a handgun and fired,
according to the affidavit.
In the subsequent exchange of fire, both Bauckholt and Border Patrol Agent David Maland were killed.
Maland, 44, was an avid outdoorsman and engaged to be married, according to his obituary.
Four days later, Vallejo police arrested Snyder outside a shopping mall near Interstate 5.
He was charged with Lind’s murder.
Police have not said publicly how Snyder came onto their radar.
But public records from the state of Washington provide a clue:
Months earlier, Snyder and Youngblut had applied for a marriage license.
It’s unclear if they ever married.
And there were more threads:
Zajko had purchased the firearms that Youngblut and Bauckholt used during the shootout,
according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court in Vermont.
Last week, authorities caught up with her, too.
According to a statement from the Maryland State Police,
Zajko was arrested Feb. 16, along with LaSota and a third person, Daniel Blank.
A property owner in Frostburg, Md., had contacted authorities
to say three people with two box trucks were trespassing on his property,
according to a law enforcement affidavit.
They dressed all in black and “appeared suspicious.”
When police got there, according to the affidavit,
they found Zajko with a SIG Sauer handgun in her waistband.
There was another gun in one of the trucks.
All three were charged with trespassing and obstructing a police officer.
Zajko and LaSota were additionally held on gun charges.
They pleaded not guilty at a hearing on Tuesday,
and are being held without bail.
Lind’s friends are still trying to wrap their heads around it all.
They remember Lind for his delightful eccentricities
— living on ancient boats, jousting with authorities, befriending wild geese.
And they remember him for his warmth.
He loved his family.
He made friends wherever he went, and he inherently trusted everyone he met.
In the end, they said, that may have been his downfall.
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