A state panel has approved a measure to name a northern portion of Interstate 91 in honor of David Maland, a U.S. Border Patrol agent who authorities say was shot and killed while conducting a traffic stop on that roadway more than a year ago.
The Vermont Transportation Board issued a written order last month naming a roughly 11-mile stretch of I-91 north and south between Exit 26 in Barton and Exit 28 in Derby, from mile marker 161.4 to mile marker 172.4, the David Chris Maland Memorial Highway.
“Agent Maland was an active member of the Newport Community. He supported a local church that ran a homeless shelter,” the four-page order stated. “He donated funds, supplies, and time to give meals, clothing, and a safe place for people in need.”
Maland, 44, of Newport, according to the order, was a border agent working out of the Newport Border Patrol Station and had worked for the border patrol for nine years. He previously served in the U.S. Air Force and worked security at the Pentagon during the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the order added.
“Agent Maland was involved in his community near and around the Newport area,” according to the order, “where he indicated he wished to settle permanently, and lived a life of service both in his work and private life.”
According to the Transportation Board’s rules, when considering a naming proposal, the panel may consider “whether the person or family made some significant contribution to the transportation facility or the region where the transportation facility is located.”
The board can also consider whether the person or family “earned a favorable local, regional, national, or international reputation or whose character and integrity, whether or not accompanied by fame or fortune, warrant remembrance.”
Maland was involved in a fatal traffic stop on the afternoon of Jan. 20, 2025, on Interstate 91 southbound near mile marker 168 in Coventry, according to federal authorities.
The driver of the pulled-over vehicle, Teresa Youngblut of Seattle, Washington, is accused of opening fire and killing Maland during that traffic stop, federal authorities stated in court documents.
Youngblut, who was also injured in the shootout, was later released from the hospital and charged with crimes in Maland’s killing that carry the possibility of the death penalty.
The case against Youngblut remains pending in federal court in Vermont. A passenger in Youngblut’s vehicle was also killed in the exchange of gunfire with law enforcement, the charging documents stated.
The American Legion, Newport Post 21, filed a petition to name the entirety of Interstate 91 in Orleans County in Maland’s honor in November 2025, according to the Transportation Board order. The petition had 97 signatures from residents across Orleans County, the order added.
The board also received letters of support from several people and organizations, including Newport Mayor Rick Ufford-Chase, as well as the Vermont Police Association and the United Federation of Police Officers.
The American Legion of Newport later amended its request to name the south and north sections of I-91 between exits 26 and 28. According to the order, the last four miles of I-91 in Vermont before entering Canada are named the John F. Kennedy Memorial International Highway in honor of the late president.
Following the public hearing earlier this year and notification of towns and villages along the stretches of roadway to be named in honor of Maland, the state Transportation Board issued its order Sept. 28.
Commander Jim Crowe of the American Legion post in Newport spoke at that public hearing.
“The American Legion wishes to honor our fellow veteran and symbolically commemorate the life of David Maland by renaming a portion of I-91 as a memorial to his life,” Crowe told the panel, adding, “We share the belief that the initiative will provide a meaningful way to honor our fallen comrade who gave his life in service to others.”
Crowe said the plan was to also install signs entering and exiting those sections of the interstate informing people of the designation. A timeline for the installation of those signs was not available Monday.
This story was first published by VTDigger and is republished with permission as part of the Vermont Journalism Trust’s Community News Sharing Project.