74°

Thursday, jul 10

Zak Failla

Assistant Managing Editor

zfailla@dailyvoice.com

FOLLOW ON

Facebook Twitter Linkedin Instagram

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

PWC Cop Used Police Databases To Stalk Man Over Woman, Officials Say A Prince William County Police officer used his badge to stalk a man tied to a woman he knew, then tracked him using law enforcement databases while on duty, officials announced. Godson Vondee, 42, of Stafford, was arrested on Tuesday, July 9, following an internal investigation into multiple unauthorized database searches and surveillance behavior, according to the Prince William County Police Department. Investigators said Vondee used the Virginia Criminal Information Network (VCIN) five separate times — once in 2023 and four more times in 2024 — to obtain personal identifying information…

by Zak Failla

07/10/2025

Police & Fire

3-Year-Old Girl Shot, Killed In DC: Metropolitan Police ID Person Of Interest The manhunt is on. Charles Rucker has been named a person of interest in the shooting death of 3-year-old Honesty Cheadle, the Metropolitan Police Department announced. Cheadle was sitting in a parked car with family when she was struck by gunfire around 3:03 a.m. on Saturday, July 5, in the 1000 block of 14th Street SE, according to police. Detectives say Rucker is wanted for questioning in connection with the shooting, which turned fatal two days later when the girl died. He is pictured in a newly released wanted homicide poster, and MPD is offering a reward of up to $50,000 for i…

by Zak Failla

07/09/2025

Police & Fire

Watch: Video Shows Spear-Wielding Man Shot Dead By Howard County Cop, AG Releases Footage Video of a deadly officer-involved shooting involving a spear-wielding man in Maryland has been released by the Attorney General's Office. Micah Booker, 23, of Columbia, was armed with a large spear when he was fatally shot by an officer in Howard County after allegedly stabbing a family member and refusing to drop the weapon, investigators say. The shooting was reported shortly before 7:30 p.m. on Monday, June 9, on Wilbur Court. In the newly released video, Booker can be seen unexpectedly sprinting toward Howard County Police Officer Michael McKee, who fired one shot, striking him in the…

by Zak Failla

07/09/2025

Obituaries

Beloved Music Teacher Mathew Price Mourned In Maryland: ‘Beautiful Soul With A Beautiful Voice' Mathew Passarelli Price wasn’t just a music teacher—he was music. A gifted baritone, passionate educator, and joyful spirit, the 25-year-old Maryland native filled classrooms, churches, and concert halls with harmony, heart, and hope. Price, a cherished choir director at North County High School in Anne Arundel County, died unexpectedly on July 1, leaving behind a devastated community of students, colleagues, family, and friends. A GoFundMe campaign has been launched by his sister to help lay him to rest after the family suffered unimaginable loss in recent years. “Mathew was …

by Zak Failla

07/09/2025

Weather

Virginia Troopers Rescue Drivers Swept Away By Flash Floods: 'Turn Around, Don't Drown' Multiple drivers had to be rescued from rising floodwaters in Virginia after heavy rains submerged roads and stranded vehicles overnight, officials said. First responders were busy across Halifax County late Tuesday, July 8, into Wednesday morning, rescuing drivers trapped by high water, according to Virginia State Police (VSP). The first incident happened just before midnight. on North Fork Church Road. Troopers and members of the VSP Special Response Team (SRT), along with Halifax County deputies, found two vehicles submerged in floodwaters. One driver was able to escape and walk …

by Zak Failla

07/09/2025

Obituaries

Mom Killed By Kids' Father In Landover; Family Pushes Domestic Violence Awareness She was a daughter, a sister, a friend — and the mother of two little girls who will now grow up without either parent. Sharita Cristwell, 29, was shot and killed in a Landover apartment on July 5, by Harry Lindsey, the father of her children, according Prince George's County Police Department. Lindsey attempted to flee after the deadly domestic dispute, but was apprehended the following day and charged with multiple counts of murder. Cristwell’s death has left her family and community reeling — and pushing for justice and awareness. “Sharita was shot twice and killed instantly by the fat…

by Zak Failla

07/09/2025

Police & Fire

Fugitive Wanted For Killing Father In Maryland Caught In Maine After Months On The Run: Police A Maryland man wanted for allegedly murdering his father earlier this year was captured in Maine after spending months on the run using a fake name, state police said. Jabril Roynell Walters, 31, of Salisbury, was arrested Tuesday, July 8, by the Maine Violent Offender Task Force in Auburn, according to Maryland State Police. He’s accused of fatally shooting his father, Roy Walters, 57, inside his Salisbury apartment in late February. Investigators believe Walters fled to Maine shortly after the murder and had been using an alias to avoid being apprehended. A homicide investigat…

by Zak Failla

07/09/2025

Police & Fire

K9 Sniffs Out Fentanyl, Cocaine In Virginia Traffic Stop After Maryland Drug Run: Police A pair of suspected drug traffickers were caught with a massive stash of fentanyl, cocaine, and syringes during a July 4 bust on a Virginia back road, thanks to a sharp-nosed K9 and a long-running narcotics investigation, police said. Denvel Ball Jr., 58, of Spotsylvania, and Eric Glascock, 36, of Culpeper, were arrested after Culpeper Police Department detectives stopped their car near Ryland Chapel Road and Crookes Farm Road. The traffic stop followed a weeks-long investigation by the Blue Ridge Narcotic and Gang Task Force. Detectives had received a tip about a vehicle making runs…

by Zak Failla

07/09/2025

Police & Fire

Pedestrian Killed In Oxon Hill Hit-Run Crash; Police Searching For Driver A Maryland man was killed in a hit-and-run crash overnight, and now police are asking for help tracking down the driver. The deadly collision happened around 12:20 a.m. Wednesday, July 9, on Wheeler Road near Birchtree Lane in Oxon Hill, according to the Prince George’s County Police Department. Responding officers found the man lying in the roadway with traumatic injuries. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The preliminary investigation revealed the involved driver struck the pedestrian while traveling westbound on Wheeler Road, officials said. The driver did not remain on the sc…

by Zak Failla

07/09/2025

Police & Fire

Domestic Call In Waldorf Ends With Car In Creek, Fugitive In Cuffs: Sheriff A man with multiple warrants led deputies on a wild chase after crashing into a Maryland creek, then assaulted two officers before he was finally apprehended, authorities said. Kent Leroy Smith Jr., 34, is facing a stack of new charges after an early morning incident on Friday, July 4, in Waldorf, the Charles County Sheriff’s Office announced. Deputies responded just after 7:15 a.m. to a home in the 9400 block of Super Street after a woman called 911, saying she was hiding from a man who had just threatened her. Investigators later identified him as Smith and learned he had three act…

by Zak Failla

07/09/2025

Prev Page 1 of 3412 1 2 3 4 5 Next

1 - 10 of 34,119 articles