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Tuesday, jun 3

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

News

Naval Nurse In Virginia Busted Coercing Undercover Officer Posing As Teen Girl: Feds A naval nurse from Virginia will spend a decade behind bars after attempting to coerce and entice a 14-year-old "minor" to have sex with him, federal authorities announced. Curtis Wade Spencer, 44, was sentenced to 10 years in prison after being busted by an undercover agent posing as the teen amid an ongoing investigation into his actions in 2022. According to court documents, while on active duty in the Navy Nurse Corps, in July 2022, Spencer contacted who he believed to be a 14-year-old girl online and began to engage in sexually explicit conversations with the “minor.” In reality, Spe…

by Zak Failla

03/09/2023

Schools

OD Reported, Edibles Seized From Student In Separate Charles County High School Incidents Edible marijuana gummies were seized from a Charles County high school student on the same day after a second teen reportedly overdosed inside a different school building. School Resource Officers (SRO) from the Charles County Sheriff’s Office assigned to the La Plata and St. Charles high schools have been busy this week, as they attempt to keep drugs out of the hands of teen students. On the morning of Wednesday, March 8, the nurse at La Plata High School requested the SRO’s assistance with a student that was hyperventilating and exhibiting abnormal behavior, according to a spokesperson fr…

by Zak Failla

03/09/2023

Police & Fire

Child Critically Injured, Two Others Hospitalized In DC Apartment Fire (Developing) Officials say that a child is fighting for its life after suffering injuries in an afternoon fire in Washington, DC. DC Fire and EMS personnel were called at approximately 1 p.m. on Thursday, March 9 to the 3300 block of 6th Street SE, where there was a fire reported in the first floor of a three-story apartment building. One child was transported to an area hospital with critical injuries that were described as life-threatening. The fire was extinguished before 1:30 p.m. on Thursday afternoon, though some residents were still forced to shelter on balconies due to heavy smoke conditions…

by Zak Failla

03/09/2023

Schools

Boy Accused Of Repeatedly Inappropriately Touching Girl At Charles County MS: Sheriff A 12-year-old boy who inappropriately touched a classmate repeatedly won’t face criminal charges but could face consequences from his school district, according to the Charles County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday, March 9. Officials say that a 12-year-old student at Piccowaxen Middle School entered a classroom that he did not belong in, sat next to another student and tried to grab her hand, which she did not allow. When the teacher dismissed the class, the boy allegedly inappropriately touched the girl, and then followed her towards her locker, and while walking behind the victim, the male…

by Zak Failla

03/09/2023

News

Gunman Convicted Of Shooting 23-Year-Old In Cold Blood: Montgomery County State's Attorney The Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office announced that a 21-year-old man has been convicted of shooting a man in broad daylight in an incident caught on camera. Clarksburg resident Rodjaun Neal-Williams is facing decades in prison after being found guilty of voluntary manslaughter and the use of a firearm in the commission of a crime of violence for his role in the death of Javon Gordon, 23, of Boyds. The conflict between the two dates back nearly three years, when Neal-Williams was 19 years old at the time. According to the State’s Attorney’s Office, on April 13, 2021, in the 12…

by Zak Failla

03/08/2023

Police & Fire

Man Accused Of Trading Drugs For Illicit Sex Acts With Teen In Montgomery County: Police Detectives in Montgomery County are concerned that there could be additional underage victims after an Olney man was arrested for allegedly giving drugs to a teen girl in exchange for sexual favors. Erik Calderon Pereira was arrested in late February following an investigation into complaints about a 15-year-old girl who was allegedly being preyed on by the 22-year-old man, officials say. On Wednesday, March 8, investigators say that detectives believe there could be additional victims that have not contacted the police, and they released his mugshot amid the ongoing investigation. It is a…

by Zak Failla

03/08/2023

News

Mother Accused Of Assaulting Student At Harford County Middle School: Police Police say that a Harford County mother went full-on “mama bear” and went after a seventh-grade student she claims harassed her daughter. Kelly Sadik, 41, was charged with assaulting a student at Aberdeen Middle School, authorities announced this week in a strange scene that led to her arrest. According to Aberdeen Police Capt. William Reiber, at approximately 8:15 a.m. on Tuesday, March 7, Sadik entered the middle school building after checking in with the office through the outside intercom. However, instead of going to the office to sign in, Sadik had a more dubious agenda on her mind. …

by Zak Failla

03/08/2023

News

Gunman Gets Life For Fatal Ambush Of Father Of Seven, Ride Share Passenger In Baltimore: AG The Maryland Attorney General’s Office announced on Wednesday that Quanta Worrell will spend decades behind bars for the fatal ambush of two men in Baltimore in 2020. Worrell, 31, was sentenced to life in prison with all but 60 years suspended after pleading guilty to the 2020 murders of Dimarcus Waldo and Stephen Sanders, according to Attorney General Anthony Brown. On March 25, 2020, Waldo, a father of seven who was working as a part-time driver-for-hire, gave Sanders a lift to the area of Queensberry Avenue and Oakley Avenue in Northwest Baltimore, where the latter was to meet Worrell. …

by Zak Failla

03/08/2023

News

Police ID Teen Girl Killed In Upper Marlboro Crash Near Area High School New details have been released by the Prince George’s County Police Department as they continue to investigate a violent crash that took the life of an 18-year-old girl earlier this week. Cayliy Haygood has been identified by police as the victim in an early-morning crash that was reported on Tuesday morning in the unincorporated section of Upper Marlboro, officials say. At approximately 9 a.m. on Tuesday, March 8, officers from the department responded to the area of Ritchie Marlboro Road and Marlboro Pointe Drive approximately a mile away from Dr. Henry A Wise Jr. High School. According…

by Zak Failla

03/08/2023

Police & Fire

Joyriding Teens In Stolen DC Car Face Gun, Drug Charges For Police Pursuit In Waldorf: Sheriff Two teens took members of the Charles County Sheriff’s Office on a wild chase in a misguided attempt to avoid arrest during a late-night stop, authorities announced on Wednesday, March 8. Waldorf resident Gekia Ynez Wright, 18, and her 17-year-old driver - who will be tried as an adult - are both facing charges after attempting to elude officers and being busted with drugs and an illegal gun. The police pursuit started shortly after 12:45 a.m. on Saturday, March 4 in the 4600 block of Prestancia Place in the Sheffield neighborhood of Waldorf, where there was a report of a suspicious vehicl…

by Zak Failla

03/08/2023

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