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Friday, apr 25

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

‘Remarkable Family’ In Odenton Loses Everything In Fire—Town Rushes To Rebuild A Maryland family is picking up the pieces after a fast-moving fire tore through their Odenton home — but they’re not doing it alone. Fire crews were called to the 2600 block of Wing Stem Circle just before 6 a.m. on Tuesday, April 22, where they found heavy flames ripping through a home’s garage and quickly spreading to the second floor, according to the Anne Arundel County Fire Department. The Odenton fire. Anne Arundel County Fire Department Crews from both Anne Arundel and Fort Meade Fire Departments jumped into action, battling the blaze while searching the house. …

by Zak Failla

04/23/2025

News

Frederick Man Who Raped Teen, Violated Protective Order Learns His Prison Fate A Maryland man is heading to prison for a decade after admitting to repeatedly raping a juvenile and violating a protective order meant to keep him away, prosecutors said. Alan Verdeja Martinez, of Frederick, was sentenced this week, to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of second-degree rape and violating a protective order, according to the Frederick County State’s Attorney’s Office. The 19-year-old picked the teen up from her family’s Carroll County home late at night on several occasions and brought her to his house to engage in sex, investigators found. After the v…

by Zak Failla

04/23/2025

Police & Fire

Two Fairfax County Officers Shot During Traffic Stop; Suspect in Custody: Police Two officers were shot during a traffic stop in Virginia on Wednesday afternoon, police say. Officers from the Fairfax County Police Department conducted a traffic stop shortly after 3:15 p.m. on April 23 in the 4000 block of Magestic Lane in Greenbriar. According to the Fairfax County Police Department, both officers were taken to an area hospital for treatment and evaluation of what were described as non-life-threatening injuries. A shooting suspect was taken into custody, officials said. As a result of the ongoing investigation, Majestic Lane is closed between Route 50 and Meadow Hill …

by Zak Failla

04/23/2025

Traffic

Dad Told Teen Son To Race Mustang Before Stafford Crash That Knocked Out Power, Sheriff Says Thousands lost power, a child dodged a speeding car, and a father landed in jail—after deputies say he encouraged his teen son to race a Mustang in Virginia. A 45-year-old Stafford County father is behind bars after deputies say he encouraged his son to race down Courthouse Road, causing a crash that knocked out power to thousands—then tried to sneak the boy away in a Porsche. The chaos unfolded around 6:25 p.m. on Tuesday, April 22, in the 1500 block of Courthouse Road, where a deputy responded to reports of a crash involving a Ford Mustang, according to the Stafford County Sheriff’s Offic…

by Zak Failla

04/23/2025

Police & Fire

Watch: Maryland Man Clings To Dock As First Responders Pull Off Frigid Water Rescue A Maryland man who slipped into icy marina waters was minutes from disaster — until a team of hero cops and a paramedic raced down a dark dock and yanked him to safety. It happened around 8 p.m. on Feb. 23, at the Twin Harbors Community Association Marina in Anne Arundel County, where a man had fallen into the water and couldn’t get out. His wife immediately called 911, and within six minutes, help had arrived. Anne Arundel County Police say Cpls. Bilter and Keller, Officer Sattler, and Firefighter/Paramedic Danielle Murray sprang into action. Bodycam footage shows the officer…

by Zak Failla

04/23/2025

Traffic

Two Airlifted, One Hospitalized After Fiery Rollover Crash On I-70 In Frederick Two people were airlifted to trauma centers and a third rushed by ambulance following a dramatic crash on I-70 in Maryland County that brought first responders racing to the scene. It happened just before 9 p.m. Tuesday, April 23, in the westbound lanes of I-70 between Hollow Road and Harmony Road in Myersville, according to Frederick County Fire and Rescue officials. When crews arrived, they were met with a chaotic scene: three vehicles, major wreckage — and two people trapped inside. The aftermath of the crash in Frederick. Frederick County Fire and Rescue Firefighters worked…

by Zak Failla

04/23/2025

Police & Fire

Wanted Woman Found Drunk, Slumped Over Jeep Near Stafford Clinic: 'Just Take Me To Jail' Christina Yingling was drunk, already known to police, and parked sideways near a Virginia medical center— then made things worse for herself. A wanted Stafford County woman is behind bars after driving drunk to a medical center, then assaulting a paramedic while being evaluated, the sheriff’s office said. Christina Yingling, 52, was arrested on Tuesday, April 22, after deputies responded to a report of an intoxicated driver near Stafford Hospital on Hospital Center Boulevard around 4 p.m. When Sgt. E.E. West arrived, she found Yingling's Jeep parked across two parking spaces, with Yinglin…

by Zak Failla

04/23/2025

Schools

Teen Stabs Classmate At West Potomac High School In Fairfax County: Police One person was critically injured and a teen is in custody following a stabbing at West Potomac High School in Fairfax County on Wednesday, police say. Investigators say two students got into an argument inside the school, which escalated and resulted in the stabbing and a chaotic scene in the building. All students involved were either 15 or 16 years old. The school was placed on a brief lockdown during the police investigation, which was later lifted. Classes continued in the short term, with the investigation still active on Wednesday afternoon, according to school officials. Counselin…

by Zak Failla

04/23/2025

Police & Fire

Man Who Lured Teen To Woods, Filmed Rape In Montgomery County Learns Prison Fate A 47-year-old man who lured a young girl into the woods to sexually assault her in Maryland will spend decades in prison, the Montgomery County State's Attorney's Office announced on Tuesday. Charles Erby, who has no fixed address, was sentenced to 40 years in prison following his arrest in DC and conviction of multiple rape offenses alst year Prosecutors say that his conviction came following an incident on April 10, 2024, when Erby began speaking to a 17-year-old on her way home from school at the Rockville Metro Station. The two boarded the same Metrobus, where the conversation continue…

by Zak Failla

04/22/2025

Traffic

One Dead, Woman Airlifted After Head-On Severn Crash With Kids In SUV: Police A 19-year-old woman was airlifted in critical condition, and three young children were hospitalized after a head-on crash that left a Maryland man dead in Anne Arundel County, police said. Officers were called to the scene on Telegraph Road at Norcross Lane in Severn around 5 p.m. on Monday, April 21, for a reported head-on collision between a Ford Expedition and a Lexus RX, according to police. Responding officers from the Anne Arundel County Police Department arrived to find both vehicles with major front-end damage and the drivers trapped inside. Fire crews extricated both drivers. …

by Zak Failla

04/22/2025

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