blaze media

University of Kentucky cheerleader arrested after allegedly stashing her dead baby in garbage bag, hiding body in closet

A University of Kentucky cheerleader has been arrested for hiding her dead infant inside a closet, according to police.

Laken Snelling, 21, is accused of wrapping her dead infant in a towel, placing it in a trash bag, and stashing the baby’s body in a closet to conceal the recent birth, authorities said.

Snelling posted a $100,000 bond and is now on ‘home incarceration with no ankle monitor.’

The city of Lexington issued a statement saying police officers were dispatched on a report of an unresponsive infant around 10:30 a.m. Aug. 27.

“When officers arrived, they located an infant that was pronounced deceased at the scene,” authorities stated.

The Fayette County Coroner’s Office is investigating the infant’s cause of death.

Investigators with the Lexington Police Department identified Snelling as the mother of the dead baby.

Citing the arrest citation, WLEX-TV reported that investigators interviewed Snelling and that she “admitted to giving birth.”

Snelling “admitted to concealing the birth by cleaning any evidence, placing all cleaning items used inside of a black trash bag, including the infant, who was wrapped in a towel,” the arrest citation said.

RELATED: Mother confesses to killing her newborn because of ‘expenses,’ enlisting daughter to help dispose of baby still crying inside trash bag: Prosecutor

Police arrested Snelling on Sunday and booked her at the Fayette County Detention Center. Police said she was charged with abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and concealing the birth of an infant.

WLEX, citing a court document, said in a Tuesday update that Snelling posted a $100,000 bond and is now on “home incarceration with no ankle monitor.” It’s not clear exactly when she posted the bond.

The station, citing the document, added that Snelling is “to live with parents.” WLEX also said Snelling reportedly entered a not guilty plea and is scheduled for a Sept. 26 court appearance.

The Lexington Police Department’s Special Victims Section is investigating the infant’s death.

NBC News reported that Snelling has been a “member of the competitive cheer stunt team” at the university and that it was “not clear” if she has a lawyer.

RELATED: Florida woman allegedly tried to sell baby daughter for $500 outside an H&R Block, then abandoned infant

Photo by benedek via iStock / Getty Images Plus

The university told WLEX in a statement, “We can confirm that she has been a member of the STUNT team for the last three seasons. All other questions should be directed to the Lexington Police.”

University of Kentucky Athletics describes STUNT as “a head-to-head competition between two teams that focuses on the technical and athletic aspects of cheer. It is one of the fastest-growing female sports in the United States.”

Snelling on Tuesday afternoon was still listed on the school’s STUNT roster.

Police are urging anyone with information regarding the case to contact the Lexington Police Department at 859-258-3600 or submit anonymous tips to Bluegrass Crime Stoppers by calling 859-253-2020 or online at bluegrasscrimestoppers.com.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

​Kentucky, Kentucky crime, Infanticide, Laken snelling, University of kentucky, Stunt team, Crime, Student, Abuse of a corpse charge, Tampering with physical evidence charge, Concealing the birth of an infant charge 

blaze media

DC grand juries prove unwilling to indict radicals accused of threatening to kill Trump

Nathalie Rose Jones of Lafayette, Indiana, was arrested in Washington, D.C., last month for allegedly threatening to kill President Donald Trump and transmitting threats across state lines.

Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for D.C., indicated that “justice will be served”; however, an Obama judge and a grand jury comprising Washington residents evidently had other plans.

‘The government may intend to try again to obtain an indictment, but the evidence has not changed.’

U.S. District Court Chief Judge James Boasberg, whom Attorney General Pam Bondi slapped in July with a misconduct complaint “for making improper public comments about President Trump and his administration,” overruled a magistrate judge last week and ordered Jones’ release.

Boasberg told Jones, who recently participated in an anti-Trump protest outside the White House, to drive to New York City and meet with her psychiatrist.

Jones’ attorneys revealed in a Monday court filing that a D.C. grand jury declined to indict her.

“The Honorable James E. Boasberg reversed the detention order on August 25, 2025, and released Ms. Jones to home detention,” wrote the attorneys. “One of the factors the court considered in determining the conditions of release was the nature of the case and the weight of the evidence. A grand jury has now found no probable cause to indict Ms. Jones on the charged offenses.”

“Given that finding, the weight of the evidence is weak,” continued the attorneys. “The government may intend to try again to obtain an indictment, but the evidence has not changed and no indictment is likely.”

RELATED: If ‘words are violence,’ why won’t the left own theirs?

Judge James Boasberg. Photo by DREW ANGERER/AFP via Getty Images

The Department of Justice noted that among the 49-year-old woman’s many alleged threats against the president was a statement on social media indicating a willingness to “sacrificially kill this POTUS by disemboweling him and cutting out his trachea.”

Prosecutors claimed that Jones — who a friend indicated in a character reference had spent some time in the Army Reserve — also said she “would take the president’s life and would kill him at ‘the compound’ if she had to, that she had a ‘bladed object,’ which she said was the weapon she would use to ‘carry out her mission of killing’ the president, and that she wanted to ‘avenge all the lives lost during the COVID-19 pandemic,’ which she attributed to President Trump’s administration and its position on vaccinations.”

In recent years, others have been indicted and ultimately convicted for far less graphic threats against Democrat presidents.

‘The system here is broken on many levels.’

On Thursday, 20-year-old Troy Kelly of New York was convicted for threatening former President Joe Biden. Kelly said in response to a Biden post on social media that he was “gonna put a bullet in your head if I ever catch you.”

Cody McCormick of Kansas was sentenced last year to nearly two years in prison for writing, “I will get a Greyhound bus ticket and go and shoot him,” in reference to Biden.

Brandon Correa was sentenced in 2015 to 18 months in prison for posting a social media message directed to former President Barack Obama that said, “Im [sic] coming to watch you die.”

RELATED: Online outrage erupts over video of illegal alien’s arrest in DC — then the horrific charges against him are revealed

Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Pirro said in a statement to Fox News, “A Washington, D.C., grand jury refused to indict someone who threatened to kill the president of the United States. Her intent was clear, traveling through five states to do so.”

“She even confirmed the same to the U.S. Secret Service. This is the essence of a politicized jury. The system here is broken on many levels,” continued Pirro. “Instead of the outrage that should be engendered by a specific threat to kill the president, the grand jury in D.C. refuses to even let the judicial process begin. Justice should not depend on politics.”

‘I’m going to f**k your ass up.’

Blaze News has reached out to Pirro’s office for additional comment as well as to the White House and the U.S. Secret Service. When pressed for comment, the USSS referred Blaze News to Pirro’s office.

D.C. residents have repeatedly signaled an unwillingness to hold accountable those who allegedly threaten Trump or attack the federal agents keeping their city safe.

DOJ prosecutors recently told a magistrate judge that a grand jury also refused to indict Edward Alexander Dana, who is similarly accused of threatening President Trump, reported the Associated Press.

D.C. police responding to a report of destruction at a restaurant in the northwest of the city arrested Dana on Aug. 17. According to the U.S. Secret Service’s affidavit in support of a criminal complaint, Dana allegedly told an officer wearing a body camera that he was affiliated with the Russian mafia and said, “I’m going to find out who you are, where you live, who you’re married to, if any. … I’m going to make sure that many people, not just me, come after you. … I’m going to f**k your ass up.”

The affidavit indicated that Dana then proceeded to threaten Trump’s life, allegedly stating, “I’m not going to tolerate fascism. You see, I was adopted [inaudible] to protect the Constitution by any means necessary. And that means killing you, Officer, killing the president, killing anyone who stands in the way of our Constitution.”

D.C. grand juries also recently refused to indict:

Alvin Summers, an individual accused of fleeing from a U.S. Park Police officer who asked to see his identification, then assaulting the officer during a subsequent arrest attempt; Sidney Lori Reid, a D.C. resident charged in July with an alleged assault on an FBI agent who was assisting with the transfer of an alleged international gang member at the D.C. Central Detention Facility; and Sean Dunn, the former DOJ employee who was caught on video allegedly throwing a submarine sandwich at a Customs and Border Protection officer on Aug. 10.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

​Washington, Dc, District of columbia, Grand jury, Grand juries, Pirro, Donald trump, Secret service, Trump, Assassination, Threats, Threat, Politics 

blaze media

House committee withdraws subpoena for Robert Mueller, cites health concerns from family

The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform kicked off its series of high-profile subpoena hearings last month with former Attorney General Bill Barr, who investigated the suspicious death of Jeffrey Epstein. Tuesday, however, former FBI Director Robert Mueller’s hearing ran into an unexpected hitch, leading to its cancellation.

Mueller, who became the FBI director shortly before the September 11 attacks and resigned in 2013, was reportedly diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease four years ago.

‘We’ve learned that Mr. Mueller has health issues that preclude him from being able to testify.’

The AP reported that the committee withdrew its subpoena of Mueller, citing the state of his health.

“We’ve learned that Mr. Mueller has health issues that preclude him from being able to testify. The committee has withdrawn its subpoena,” a committee aide told CBS News earlier this week.

RELATED: Former AG Bill Barr testifies he found no dirt on Trump during Epstein probe, Comer says

Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

“Bob was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in the summer of 2021,” Robert Mueller’s family said in a statement to the New York Times on Sunday. “He retired from the practice of law at the end of that year. He taught at his law school alma mater during the fall of both 2021 and 2022, and he retired at the end of 2022. His family asks that his privacy be respected.”

Suspicions that Mueller’s health was declining have been aired since at least 2019, when he gave a “halting performance” during a hearing on the Russia investigation, according to the New York Times. During a key meeting to discuss the findings of the investigation, Mueller’s hands “were trembling” and his voice was “tremulous,” Barr wrote in a memoir published in 2022.

In a cover letter addressed to Mueller on August 5, Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) explained the reasoning behind the subpoena issued on July 23, 2025. The committee sought information that members believed Mueller may have regarding the investigation into Epstein. “Because you were FBI Director during the time when Mr. Epstein was under investigation by the FBI, the Committee believes that you possess knowledge and information relevant to its investigation.”

The subpoena hearing was set for September 2, 2025.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

​Politics, House committee on oversight and government reform, James comer, Bill barr, Jeffrey epstein, Robert mueller, Former fbi director robert mueller, Chairman james comer 

blaze media

‘Soulless America’: Why the Cracker Barrel saga reveals a push to Sovietize our souls

As news of the beloved old country store Cracker Barrel’s “woke” makeover went viral, Americans across the country voiced their disappointment — and even President Donald Trump weighed in.

“Cracker Barrel should go back to the old logo, admit a mistake based on customer response (the ultimate Poll), and manage the company better than ever before. They got a Billion Dollars worth of free publicity if they play their cards right,” the president wrote in a post on Truth Social.

“Very tricky to do, but a great opportunity. Have a major News Conference today. Make Cracker Barrel a WINNER again. Remember, in just a short period of time I made the United States of America the ‘HOTTEST’ Country anywhere in the World. One year ago, it was ‘DEAD.’ Good luck!”

Despite the obvious backlash, Cracker Barrel’s new CEO doesn’t seem to notice.

“Honestly, the feedback’s been overwhelmingly positive, that people like what we’re doing,” the CEO said on ABC News.

“I’m sorry,” BlazeTV host Jill Savage tells BlazeTV host Steve Deace on the “Steve Deace Show.” “You don’t have to be, like, a genius. You had to be online for about three minutes and you would know that people were making fun of this rollout on both sides of the aisle.”

Savage believes the new design choice reflects a larger agenda for a “soulless America.”

“They want, like, fashion trends that absolutely everybody follows and doing things that everybody else does. And that, to me, is the Soviet trend,” she explains.

“They’re trying to put this into a box that’s just like everything else. Don’t be exceptional. Don’t be yourselves. Don’t be unique. Just be like everything else,” she adds.

“So conformity over ingenuity is what you see,” Deace comments.

“Yep, absolutely,” Savage adds.

Want more from Steve Deace?

To enjoy more of Steve’s take on national politics, Christian worldview, and principled conservatism with a snarky twist, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

​Free, Upload, Video, Video phone, Camera phone, Sharing, Youtube.com, Steve deace show, The blaze, Blazetv, Blaze news, Blaze podcasts, Blaze podcast network, Blaze media, Blaze online, Blaze originals, Cracker barrel, Cracker barrel logo, Woke, Maga, Cracker barrel backlash, Cracker barrel ceo, President donald trump, President trump, Jill savage, Steve deace 

blaze media

The American right’s Howard Zinn problem

Plenty of alternative takes on history circulate on the American right today. How did World War II really begin? Who were America’s true allies, and who were the enemies — foreign and domestic? These are serious questions, and some counter-narratives raise valuable points. But many of them belong in the advanced section. Before you dive into them, you need a grasp of the basics.

The left has long had this problem. For its adherents and especially its new recruits, woke history is the only history. Nothing fuels leftists’ superiority complex more than tossing around facts that appear to shatter common assumptions — if you don’t know the rest of the story. The right is only just beginning to learn that game.

You need to read these histories that challenge the national narrative as interesting, with real and uncomfortable truths — but not as definitive texts.

On the left, historians like Howard Zinn, William Blum, and Noam Chomsky absolutely excel. Did you even know that Thomas Jefferson owned slaves?! Did you even know that the founding fathers were a bunch of rich white guys?! Did you even know we worked with former fascists against the communists when we rebuilt Europe?!?

All that is true! And these realities should inform a proper understanding of history. Held in a vacuum, however, they obscure the real story.

It’s tempting to hear things that pierce the basic histories we’ve learned and that question the proud narratives all countries build around their histories. But that special feeling of knowing something you weren’t taught in school can inflate the ego well beyond where it should go.

How many woke scholars “know” Christopher Columbus was a tyrannical rapist, but don’t know that entire counter-narrative is based on the writings of one man who wanted his job, which were not taken seriously in their day and are corroborated nowhere else?

How many woke scholars know enough about the lives of Jefferson and Washington, the realities of the world they lived in, and their substantial contributions to a society in which no man is a slave? How many of them know what the communists were doing in Europe, the realities of functioning governance on the ground, and why communist terrorists had to be fought? You’re not going to find that context in “A People’s History of the United States.”

Today, the American right is experiencing its own reckoning with history. For the first time, many patriotic Americans are open to dissident accounts that challenge the United States’ “hero story.” Younger conservatives in particular grew up under elites who dismissed that story outright, replacing it with the Zinn-Chomsky narrative taught as unquestioned truth.

They were told that whiteness is wicked, men are oppressors, masculinity is toxic, Christianity is tyrannical, and America itself is evil. At the same time, they were fed lie after lie about COVID, the deep state, and more. They are angry, and the internet now supplies them with historical alternatives that reinforce a conspiratorial worldview.

Some of this is healthy. My grandfather remembered when World War II propaganda dubbed Josef Stalin “Uncle Joe,” even as Soviet sympathizers burrowed into the State Department and the White House. They funneled Stalin aid while forcing Britain to bankrupt itself to pay for its own defense, hastening the empire’s collapse.

The trick is that you need to read these histories that challenge the national narrative as interesting, with real and uncomfortable truths — but not as definitive texts. Did we choose bad allies in the 20th century? Yes. Did we choose correct foes? That’s a mixed record. Did we make mistakes that ended up with half of Europe under Soviet domination? Absolutely. Could we have prevented that? Maybe, but only at incredible costs.

Could we have prevented the original destruction of Europe that resulted from World War I? Certainly not. Could we have gone back farther and stopped it all by staying out of that war? Probably not. Could we have made the French be nicer to the kaiser? Very unlikely. Should we have gotten involved at all? Depends on where and when.

Did we target the only Catholic cities in Japan for nuclear attack? Yes. Did we also kill vastly more people in Tokyo than either of those outlier cities? Yes. And on and on and on.

The punk band NOFX mocked their radical fans in the early 2000s with the lyrics: “I never looked around, never second-guessed / Then I read some Howard Zinn, now I’m always depressed / And now I can’t sleep from years of apathy, all because I read a little Noam Chomsky.”

The young conservatives of the day scoffed at these preening “academics” at a time when the American right bought the old narrative more fully than it should have. That day has passed. The regime, the left, and the internet all combined to blast our shared history to pieces — and there’s so much left to question.

Just don’t be stupid about it. Investigate the alternative takes, then place them into the broader context. And never stop learning.

Sign up for Bedford’s newsletter
Sign up to get Blaze Media senior politics editor Christopher Bedford’s newsletter.

​Opinion & analysis, Politics