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Zak Failla

Assistant Managing Editor

zfailla@dailyvoice.com

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Equal parts Lois Lane, J. Jonah Jameson and Vicki Vale, Zak! has traveled from coast-to-coast covering small and big town community news in both in print and online for nearly a decade since his graduation from the award-winning Roy H. Park School of Communications at Ithaca College in 2010.

Before settling into the Hudson Valley, Zak! previously spent time in the New York Daily News newsroom and worked for hyperlocal digital news outlets on Long Island. He wrote sports for The Ithacan and The Ithaca Journal before taking his talents to the Pacific Northwest, where he served as the sports editor at the Shoshone News-Press until heading back east to work with Daily Voice.

Zak Failla's Contributions

Police & Fire
Feet Fail Fleeing Motel 6 Squatter Looking To Stay Out Of Jail In Virginia: Sheriff Feet Fail Fleeing Motel 6 Squatter Looking To Stay Out Of Jail In Virginia: Sheriff
Feet Fail Fleeing Motel 6 Squatter Looking To Stay Out Of Jail In Virginia: Sheriff A fleeing suspect looking to stay out of jail "for a little longer" ended a police pursuit after tripping over his own feet in Stafford County, according to the sheriff's office.  Gunther Raimund went from being a squatter refusing to leave a hotel in Fredericksburg, to a cooperative arrestee, to a runaway whose feet failed him on Thursday afternoon, leading to his arrest.  Shortly before 12:30 p.m. on April 4, a deputy from the Stafford County Sheriff's Office was called to Motel 6 on Warrenton Road, where a guest - later identified as Raimund - refused to leave, despite che…

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by Zak Failla
News
Homeowner Gets Jail Time For Deaths, Mistreatment Of Dogs In Maryland: State's Attorney Homeowner Gets Jail Time For Deaths, Mistreatment Of Dogs In Maryland: State's Attorney
Homeowner Gets Jail Time For Deaths, Mistreatment Of Dogs In Maryland: State's Attorney A homeowner found with dead and emaciated dogs littering his property in Walkersville will serve time behind bars, the Frederick County State's Attorney's Office announced. Anthony Houston Smith II, 55, was sentenced to six years with all suspended but 30 days to spend in jail - which will be served during 10 consecutive weekends - after admitting to animal cruelty charges earlier this year following an investigation on his property. On Feb. 11, 2023, deputies from the Frederick County Sheriff's Office were called to a home in the 8300 block of Water Street Road in Walkersville, where there…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Son Killed Mother During Domestic Dispute In Maryland: Police Son Killed Mother During Domestic Dispute In Maryland: Police
Son Killed Mother During Domestic Dispute In Maryland: Police A 51-year-old man is facing multiple murder charges for his alleged role in the fatal assault of his mother in Prince George's County. Reginald English has been charged in connection to the death of his 72-year-old mother, Lorena Royster, who was found dead in their Bladensburg home on Wednesday night, authorities announced on Thursday. Officers from the Bladensburg Police Department were called at approximately 11:10 p.m. on April 3 to the 4100 block of 53rd Place to conduct a welfare check. Homicide Investigation: Officers responded to the 4100 blk. of 53rd. Pl. at approx. 11:15 pm f…

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by Zak Failla
News
Sergeant Accused Of Kissing, Sex With Teen Girls In Police Vehicle: Maryland State Prosecutor Sergeant Accused Of Kissing, Sex With Teen Girls In Police Vehicle: Maryland State Prosecutor
Sergeant Accused Of Kissing, Sex With Teen Girls In Police Vehicle: Maryland State Prosecutor A police officer in Maryland has been charged with misconduct in office after using a departmental cellphone to target teens and high school students on social media while flaunting his powerful position, the state prosecutor's office announced. Veteran Easton Police Sgt. Jason Dyott is facing charges after he "communicated in a sexual manner with several teenagers and students at local high schools in Talbot County," officials confirmed. According to court documents, in November 2022, Dyott began talking to his first teenage victim on Snapchat, allegedly leveraging his position in the…

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by Zak Failla
News
Hate Crimes, Harassment Of Same-Sex Couple In Maryland Neighborhood Lands Man Jail Time Hate Crimes, Harassment Of Same-Sex Couple In Maryland Neighborhood Lands Man Jail Time
Hate Crimes, Harassment Of Same-Sex Couple In Maryland Neighborhood Lands Man Jail Time A hateful man who targeted a same-sex couple in his neighborhood is to serve more than a year in jail, the Frederick County State's Attorney announced. Thurmont resident Michael David Burns was sentenced to nine years, with all but 18 months suspended to be served in the Frederick County Adult Detention Center after being convicted on 10 counts, including multiple hate crimes involving his neighbors. Prosecutors say that the victims, a same-sex couple who are neighbors of Burns, reported the trespassing and harassment last year directly to the State’s Attorney’s Office, prompting a len…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Teen Killed In Shooting At DC Metro Station; Shooter At Large (UPDATED) Teen Killed In Shooting At DC Metro Station; Shooter At Large (UPDATED)
Teen Killed In Shooting At DC Metro Station; Shooter At Large (Updated) A teenage boy died after being shot at a Metro station in Northeast DC on Thursday afternoon, police confirmed. Officials say that a fight broke out on the platform of the Brookland-CUA Metro Station on Michigan Avenue late in the afternoon on April 4, during which at least one person began shooting. One teen involved in the fracas was struck and died from his injuries. #Update: MPD is releasing a second image of a suspect in the fatal shooting at the Brookland Metro Station. Anyone who can identify this individual is asked to call 202-727-9099 or text 50411. pic.twitter.com/9FOJQ1K06S …

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by Zak Failla
News
Fugitive Wanted For Robbing Ex Arrested After Unrelated Crash In St. Mary's County: Sheriff Fugitive Wanted For Robbing Ex Arrested After Unrelated Crash In St. Mary's County: Sheriff
Fugitive Wanted For Robbing Ex Arrested After Unrelated Crash In St. Mary's County: Sheriff A 24-year-old man robbed a former partner on Wednesday afternoon before being taken into custody overnight in St. Mary's County following an unrelated crash, according to the sheriff's office. Lexington Park resident Derin Robert Perez Perez was arrested on April 4 hours after he allegedly flagged down his ex and stole her property while she was sitting in a car outside a business. According to the St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office, at approximately 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon, deputies were alerted by a woman that Perez Perez - with whom she had a previous relationship with -&nb…

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by Zak Failla
News
Body Of Mother Whale Struck By Boat Found Off VA Coast, Calf Unlikely To Survive: NOAA Body Of Mother Whale Struck By Boat Found Off VA Coast, Calf Unlikely To Survive: NOAA
Body Of Mother Whale Struck By Boat Found Off VA Coast, Calf Unlikely To Survive: NOAA The body of a right whale mother was found off the Virginia coast last week died from a vessel strike, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced Thursday, April 4. The carcass of Catalog #1950 was found 50 miles off the coast of Virginia on March 30 and towed ashore. A necropsy was conducted on Tuesday, April 2.  According to the NOAA, preliminary findings indicated “catastrophic injuries with a complete dislocation of the whale’s spine and fractures to all vertebrae in the lower back.”  The injuries are consistent with blunt force trauma from a ve…

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by Zak Failla & Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Jewelry Store Thief Linked To Five Other Robberies Of Maryland Businesses, Sheriff Says Jewelry Store Thief Linked To Five Other Robberies Of Maryland Businesses, Sheriff Says
Jewelry Store Thief Linked To Five Other Robberies Of Maryland Businesses, Sheriff Says A sticky-fingered thief who robbed a ring from a Charles County jewelry store has been connected to multiple other thefts at Maryland businesses, according to the sheriff's office. Waldorf resident Daniel Jerome Ball, 54, who was already wanted for previous offenses in Southern Maryland, is facing multiple charges following the investigation into a theft late last month.  Officers from the Charles County Sheriff's Office were called shortly before noon on Friday, March 29 to the 3000 block of Waldorf Market Place, when a customer asked to see some jewelry, and unexpectedly ran from the…

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by Zak Failla
Business
Winning $1M, $50K Powerball Tickets Sold To Maryland Lottery Players; Jackpot Climbs To $1.23B Winning $1M, $50K Powerball Tickets Sold To Maryland Lottery Players; Jackpot Climbs To $1.23B
Winning $1M, $50K Powerball Tickets Sold To Maryland Lottery Players; Jackpot Climbs To $1.23B Maryland continues to be the place to be for Lottery players after another player won a $1 million Powerball prize in the latest drawing. A winning ticket worth seven figures was sold at Royal Farms on Montevideo Road in Jessup (Howard County), while the Powerball Double Play drawing produced a $50,000 winning ticket that was sold at Oak Street Station Oceanic on North Howard Street in Baltimore. The winning numbers for the Powerball drawing on Wednesday, April 3 were: 11-38-41-62-65 with a "Powerball" number of 15. The big winner matched the first five numbers, but missed out on the Power…

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by Zak Failla
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