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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
High Teen ‘Didn’t Mean To Interrupt’ Deputies Before DUI Arrest In Stafford, Sheriff Says High Teen ‘Didn’t Mean To Interrupt’ Deputies Before DUI Arrest In Stafford, Sheriff Says
High Teen ‘Didn’t Mean To Interrupt’ Deputies Before DUI Arrest In Stafford, Sheriff Says A high and unlicensed teen driver nearly caused multiple crashes before apologizing for "interrupting" a deputy’s shift during a wild DUI stop in Stafford County, authorities said. The chaos unfolded around 1:56 p.m. on Tuesday, June 4, when a deputy spotted an Acura swerving dangerously on Richmond Highway near Rowser Street, the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office said, prompting a traffic stop. Instead of pulling over, the 16-year-old driver allegedly veered into oncoming traffic — driving southbound in the northbound lanes — before eventually pulling over, officials said. When the deputy …

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by Zak Failla
News
Virginia Hunter Gets 1 Day In Prison For Poisoning Bald Eagle, Beating Hawk: Feds Virginia Hunter Gets 1 Day In Prison For Poisoning Bald Eagle, Beating Hawk: Feds
Virginia Hunter Gets 1 Day In Prison For Poisoning Bald Eagle, Beating Hawk: Feds A Virginia man who admitted to poisoning a bald eagle and brutally bludgeoning a trapped hawk with a pole was sentenced to just one day in prison, according to court records. William Custis Smith, of Accomack County, confessed to federal agents that he used illegal pole traps and a banned insecticide to kill birds of prey that flew onto his Hallwood property — including a juvenile bald eagle, the nation’s symbol. The shocking discovery began in early 2023, when wildlife officials received an anonymous tip about a suspicious trap set up near a waterfowl impoundment, officials said. When age…

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by Zak Failla
News
Mechanicsville Woman Fights For Life After Crash As Sister Refuses To Leave Her Side Mechanicsville Woman Fights For Life After Crash As Sister Refuses To Leave Her Side
Mechanicsville Woman Fights For Life After Crash As Sister Refuses To Leave Her Side As Megan Rowley clings to life in a Maryland trauma center, her older sister Katie hasn’t left her side—not for a second. The 31-year-old Mechanicsville woman was critically injured in a devastating head-on crash on Mechanicsville Road around 1:15 p.m. Friday, May 30, the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office said. According to investigators, 79-year-old Marjorie Swann Boyers of Chaptico was driving southbound in a Toyota Highlander when, for reasons still unknown days later, she crossed the center line and struck Megan’s Chrysler 200 head-on.  A young family member was also in the car w…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Deadly Police Pursuit Ends With Crash Into I-95 Pillar In Baltimore: AG Deadly Police Pursuit Ends With Crash Into I-95 Pillar In Baltimore: AG
Deadly Police Pursuit Ends With Crash Into I-95 Pillar In Baltimore: AG A deadly police pursuit on I-95 in Baltimore ended in tragedy when an Infiniti driver crashed into a highway pillar, killing two people, authorities said. A high-speed police chase in Baltimore ended in a fatal crash early Wednesday, June 4, when a fleeing vehicle slammed into a support pillar under I-95, according to the Maryland Attorney General’s Office, which is investigating the incident. The deadly collision happened around 2:18 a.m., when a Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) officer spotted an Infiniti sedan traveling northbound on I-95, officials said. The officer followed th…

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by Zak Failla
News
‘Four’-tuitous Wins: 4-4-4-4 Pays Out Millions To 'Pick 4' Virginia Lottery Players ‘Four’-tuitous Wins: 4-4-4-4 Pays Out Millions To 'Pick 4' Virginia Lottery Players
‘Four’-tuitous Wins: 4-4-4-4 Pays Out Millions To 'Pick 4' Virginia Lottery Players It was all about the fours — four numbers, four digits, and millions in winnings after Virginia Lottery’s Pick 4 players hit the jackpot with the wildest combo of all: 4-4-4-4. Pick 4 players across Virginia had themselves a four-midable night after the numbers 4-4-4-4 were drawn on Monday, June 3, triggering a $7.9 million payout, Virginia Lottery officials said. Yes — you read that right. Four 4s. And the Lottery paid out nearly 18 times what it took in. According to officials, players wagered $438,939 on the June 3 night drawing. The result? They walked away with a staggering $7.9 milli…

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by Zak Failla
News
Baltimore Marina Runs Red As Mysterious Oil Spill Oozes Into Waterfront (PHOTOS) Baltimore Marina Runs Red As Mysterious Oil Spill Oozes Into Waterfront (PHOTOS)
Baltimore Marina Runs Red As Mysterious Oil Spill Oozes Into Waterfront (Photos) A 100-gallon mystery spill has turned Baltimore’s Fells Point Marina blood red — and now state crews and the Coast Guard are scrambling to clean up the mess. Waterfront visitors were stunned in Baltimore’s Fells Point neighborhood when they found it coated in a vivid red slick on Tuesday, June 4, after a 100-gallon oil spill of unknown origin blanketed the docks in dyed petroleum, officials said. The Maryland Department of the Environment confirmed its emergency response team was on site, working alongside the US Coast Guard and private contractors to contain the strange-colored spill. …

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Early Morning Raid Results In Recovery Of Child Porn, Taneytown Teen Arrest, Sheriff Says Early Morning Raid Results In Recovery Of Child Porn, Taneytown Teen Arrest, Sheriff Says
Early Morning Raid Results In Recovery Of Child Porn, Taneytown Teen Arrest, Sheriff Says A Maryland teen is behind bars after a dawn raid at his home turned up child sexual abuse material, investigators said. An 18-year-old Taneytown man is facing multiple charges after an Internet Crimes Against Children investigation led to an early-morning search at his Carroll County home, authorities announced on Wednesday. Luis Esteban Diaz, 18, was taken into custody on Friday, May 30, after detectives served a 5:30 a.m. search warrant at his home, according to the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office. Detectives with the Carroll County Advocacy and Investigation Unit, along with the Cr…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Attempted Abduction Near Annandale Bus Stop Foiled By Quick-Thinking Kid: Police Attempted Abduction Near Annandale Bus Stop Foiled By Quick-Thinking Kid: Police
Attempted Abduction Near Annandale Bus Stop Foiled By Quick-Thinking Kid: Police A fast-acting child is being credited with stopping a potential abduction near a Virginia bus stop after running to a trusted adult, who helped lead police straight to the suspect, authorities said. The attempted abduction happened around 8:48 a.m. Tuesday, June 3, near Wadsworth Court and Little River Turnpike in Annandale, according to Fairfax County Police. Police say Hugo Perez Soliz, 45, pulled up in a black Subaru and tried to persuade the child to get into his vehicle while the child was waiting for the school bus. Instead, the child ran to a trusted adult nearby who took a photo of…

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by Zak Failla
News
Human Remains Found At Patapsco Valley State Park In Maryland (DEVELOPING) Human Remains Found At Patapsco Valley State Park In Maryland (DEVELOPING)
Human Remains Found At Patapsco Valley State Park In Maryland (Developing) Parts of Patapsco Valley State Park were closed in Maryland on Wednesday afternoon when a hiker made a grisly discovery, according to multiple reports. Maryland Natural Resources Police say that human remains were located near the Forest Glen Trail in the Baltimore County park, prompting an intensive investigation on June 4. No details about the investigation have been released by police. The incident remains under investigation. This is a developing story. Check Daily Voice for updates as more information is released. Want breaking news in the DMV as it happens, or want to contribu…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Woman Given Drink, Sexually Assaulted In Woodbridge Apartment: Police Woman Given Drink, Sexually Assaulted In Woodbridge Apartment: Police
Woman Given Drink, Sexually Assaulted In Woodbridge Apartment: Police A Virginia man is behind bars after allegedly drugging and sexually assaulting a woman inside a Woodbridge apartment, police announced. Detectives in Prince William County arrested Ariel Benavidis Bermudez, 33, of Woodbridge, following an investigation into a sexual assault that occurred late last year, authorities said. The incident took place on Dec. 7, 2024, at the Dale Forest Apartments in the 14300 block of Westway Lane in Woodbridge, police said in a release. Investigators say the victim and Bermudez met earlier that day and were together at the apartment when he gave her a drink. A …

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by Zak Failla
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