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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

News
Airborne Honda Slams Into Mercedes In Deadly Seven-Vehicle PG County Crash (UPDATED) Airborne Honda Slams Into Mercedes In Deadly Seven-Vehicle PG County Crash (UPDATED)
Airborne Honda Slams Into Mercedes In Deadly Seven-Vehicle PG County Crash (Updated) A deadly chain-reaction crash on a busy Prince George’s County highway left two women dead and sent five others to the hospital, according to Maryland State Police. Troopers said the seven-vehicle crash happened around 1 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 19, on Route 202 at St. Joseph’s Drive in Landover. Investigators said a Honda Accord driven by Tierra Johnson, 28, of Upper Marlboro, struck a curb divider and went airborne.  The Accord then hit a Toyota Tundra, pushing it into a Dodge Grand Caravan, before slamming into four more vehicles, including a Mercedes-Benz E 300. The Mercedes was being …

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by Zak Failla
News
ICE Agents Ambush DC Father Loved In Community For Decades, Neighbors Rally To Save Him ICE Agents Ambush DC Father Loved In Community For Decades, Neighbors Rally To Save Him
ICE Agents Ambush DC Father Loved In Community For Decades, Neighbors Rally To Save Him A DC father who has been a part of his community for more than two decades is sitting in ICE custody after being picked up on his way to work, sparking outrage and support from neighbors and loved ones. On Monday, Aug. 18, Byron Mejia was surrounded by three police cars and taken into custody by ICE while commuting to his job, according to his distraught family. Mejia, who came to Washington, DC from Guatemala in 2005 at age 19, has spent more than 20 years in the community, raising two children with his wife, Monica Sanchez.  Loved ones say he built a life marked by hard work, though…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Penn State Rape Suspect From DC Surrenders Hours After Marshals Blast Out BOLO: Feds Penn State Rape Suspect From DC Surrenders Hours After Marshals Blast Out BOLO: Feds
Penn State Rape Suspect From DC Surrenders Hours After Marshals Blast Out Bolo: Feds A DC man accused of raping a student at Penn State last fall and going on the run surrendered hours after the US Marshals issued a BOLO looking for him, authorities announced. The US Marshals Service Eastern Pennsylvania Violent Crime Fugitive Task Force issued an alert on Monday, Aug. 18, advising that they are searching for 19-year-old Abdul-Jabril Cooper, who is wanted for the September 2024 rape of a student at Penn State’s Abington campus. On Tuesday, Aug. 19, federal officials confirmed that Cooper surrendered to the Penn State University Police. He now faces a host of charges. …

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Convicted Felons Busted With Guns, Drugs, Cash Near Waldorf Businesses: Sheriff Convicted Felons Busted With Guns, Drugs, Cash Near Waldorf Businesses: Sheriff
Convicted Felons Busted With Guns, Drugs, Cash Near Waldorf Businesses: Sheriff Two convicted felons tied to drug trafficking outside a busy strip of Maryland businesses were busted with guns, ammo, and cannabis, according to the Charles County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies said the Neighborhood Enforcement Team launched an investigation in June 2025 after repeated complaints about drug trafficking in the 300 block of Smallwood Drive in Waldorf. On Wednesday, Aug. 13, investigators observed 39-year-old Diontay Hattix of Waldorf and 28-year-old Domanic Marks-Wiggins of Washington, DC, engaged in what appeared to be a drug sale in a parking lot, officials said. Afterward, …

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by Zak Failla
Traffic
Eight Vehicles Involved In Fatal MD 202 Crash In PG County: State Police (DEVELOPING) Eight Vehicles Involved In Fatal MD 202 Crash In PG County: State Police (DEVELOPING)
Eight Vehicles Involved In Fatal MD 202 Crash In PG County: State Police (Developing) At least one person was killed in a massive eight-vehicle crash in Maryland on Tuesday afternoon, according to Maryland State Police. An investigation was launched in Prince George's County following the chain-reaction crash involving nearly a dozen passenger vehicles in the northbound lanes of MD 202 at St. Joseph's Drive. The crash was reported before 4:30 p.m. on Aug. 19 and all lanes were reopened as of 6 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon. .@MDSP is investigating a fatal crash on MD 202 at St. Josephs Dr in Prince George's County involving 8 passenger vehicles. Please avoid the area. For tr…

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by Zak Failla
News
Body Of Missing 36-Year-Old Swimmer Recovered From Beaver Dam Quarry In Cockeysville (UPDATED) Body Of Missing 36-Year-Old Swimmer Recovered From Beaver Dam Quarry In Cockeysville (UPDATED)
Body Of Missing 36-Year-Old Swimmer Recovered From Beaver Dam Quarry In Cockeysville (Updated) The body of the man who went missing at the Beaver Dam Swimming Club in Baltimore County over the weekend has been located, according to officials. Michael Randle, 36, went missing after struggling and going underwater in Cockeysville at around 6 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 17.  On Tuesday, Aug. 19, officials confirmed that Randle's body has been located after an extensive two-day search. Divers have located the swimmer identified as 36-year-old Michael Randle. #BCoPD Underwater Recovery Team (URT) along... Posted by Baltimore County Police Department on Tuesday, August 19, 2025 Off…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Two Barns Collapse, Tractors Destroyed In $500K Fire At Cold Springs Farm Two Barns Collapse, Tractors Destroyed In $500K Fire At Cold Springs Farm
Two Barns Collapse, Tractors Destroyed In $500K Fire At Cold Springs Farm Flames tore through a Carroll County farm Tuesday afternoon, burning down two barns and destroying multiple tractors in a blaze that caused more than half a million dollars in damage, officials said. The Maryland State Fire Marshal’s Office said the fire broke out just after noon on Tuesday, Aug. 19, at Cold Springs Farm on Hawks Hill Road in New Windsor. Office Of The Maryland State Fire Marshal A passerby spotted flames around 12:10 p.m. and called for help, officials said. More than 50 firefighters from New Windsor and surrounding departments battled the two-alarm fire for three hours …

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Fredericksburg Shoplifting Suspect Bit Officer So Hard He Broke Finger During Arrest: Police Fredericksburg Shoplifting Suspect Bit Officer So Hard He Broke Finger During Arrest: Police
Fredericksburg Shoplifting Suspect Bit Officer So Hard He Broke Finger During Arrest: Police A shoplifting stop in Virginia turned violent when a handcuffed suspect spat on arresting officers, biting one so hard his finger broke, police said. Fredericksburg Police said 45-year-old Clifton Rhines was taken into custody on Wednesday, Aug. 13, following a shoplifting incident at a CVS on Emancipation Highway that rapidly escalated.  Officers said Rhines was initially compliant after being handcuffed behind his back, but quickly grew agitated, refused commands, and threatened to spit on officers repeatedly. As officers attempted to restrain him, Rhines spat on one of them before …

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Wawa Turns Into Rodeo As Cowboy Hat-Sporting Suspect Fights Deputies, Stafford Sheriff Says Wawa Turns Into Rodeo As Cowboy Hat-Sporting Suspect Fights Deputies, Stafford Sheriff Says
Wawa Turns Into Rodeo As Cowboy Hat-Sporting Suspect Fights Deputies, Stafford Sheriff Says It wasn’t deputies’ first rodeo at a Virginia Wawa, but this one ended with a cowboy hat-wearing suspect squaring off with deputies, assaulting one, and landing in jail. Stafford County deputies said 43-year-old Samuel Thompson IV, who has no fixed address, caused chaos outside the Wawa on South Gateway Drive just after midnight Sunday, Aug. 17. Callers reported a man in a sleeveless shirt and cowboy hat was kicking cars and threatening to punch a woman in the face. When deputies showed up around 12:15 a.m., Thompson bolted toward the nearby Clarion Inn, the sheriff’s office said. But inst…

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by Zak Failla
News
Child Gunned Down At July 4 Bowie Cookout: Shooter Convicted After Arrest In South America Child Gunned Down At July 4 Bowie Cookout: Shooter Convicted After Arrest In South America
Child Gunned Down At July 4 Bowie Cookout: Shooter Convicted After Arrest In South America The man responsible for the fatal shooting of 6-year-old Ahsan Payton on the Fourth of July last year in Maryland is facing decades in prison after being arrested in South America last year, authorities announced. Rakeem Gilgeours, 34, who opened fire during a neighborhood event on July 4, 2024, has been convicted of assault and other offenses after the child was shot and killed in crossfire, according to the Prince George's County State's Attorney's Office. During a neighborhood celebration over the holiday in Temple Hills, gunshots rang out at around 7:50 p.m. in the 4500 block of Akron S…

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by Zak Failla
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