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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
Drunk Driver Shot While Speeding Toward CIA HQ Gate Had Prior DUI, Feds Say Drunk Driver Shot While Speeding Toward CIA HQ Gate Had Prior DUI, Feds Say
Drunk Driver Shot While Speeding Toward CIA HQ Gate Had Prior DUI, Feds Say Monia Spadaro was drunk, driving the wrong way, had a DUI on her record — and kept going even after cops opened fire outside CIA headquarter in Virginia Spadaro, the woman who was shot after trying to drive through a security gate at the CIA’s main entrance in Fairfax County, was intoxicated at the time and already had a prior DUI conviction, according to a newly filed federal affidavit. The early-morning incident happened just after 3:30 a.m. on Thursday, May 22, when Spadaro’s gray Toyota Corolla entered the outbound lane of the CIA’s Langley campus — a direct violation of clearly marked …

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by Zak Failla
News
Sex Offender Faked MLB Career, Scammed Women In Big League Lie: Feds Sex Offender Faked MLB Career, Scammed Women In Big League Lie: Feds
Sex Offender Faked MLB Career, Scammed Women In Big League Lie: Feds He said he was going pro in baseball — but what he really went pro in was lying, scamming, and disappearing from the sex offender registry, prosecutors in Virginia say. A Roanoke man who told women he was a Major League Baseball prospect, forged six-figure checks, used burner phones to impersonate team officials, and failed to register as a sex offender has pleaded guilty in federal court as part of an elaborate scheme, federal officials announced. He went by many names while executing his scheme. Janike Dunbar Holt, 29 — also known as “Nike,” “Janike Tagovailoa,” “Keanu Tagovailoa,” and “…

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by Zak Failla
Lifestyle
Maryland Man Nearly Throws Away $1M Ticket — Then Digs Into Trash And Strikes Gold Maryland Man Nearly Throws Away $1M Ticket — Then Digs Into Trash And Strikes Gold
Maryland Man Nearly Throws Away $1M Ticket — Then Digs Into Trash And Strikes Gold He was one trash can away from disaster in Maryland. A Howard County truck driver nearly tossed away a $1 million winning scratch-off ticket—but had a second thought, dug it back out of the trash, and is now a millionaire. The man made the lucky purchase while stopped at the Travel Centers of America rest stop on Elkton Road in Cecil County, according to Maryland Lottery officials. Google Maps street view He’d been dealing with busted windshield wipers and needed a coffee break, they said. After grabbing both, he picked up a few scratch-offs on a whim.  His final choice? A $20…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Virginia Man Walks Out Of Jail, Steals Car From Fairfax Courthouse, Breaks Into Home: Police Virginia Man Walks Out Of Jail, Steals Car From Fairfax Courthouse, Breaks Into Home: Police
Virginia Man Walks Out Of Jail, Steals Car From Fairfax Courthouse, Breaks Into Home: Police He walked out of jail — then stole a car and broke into a home, police say. A Woodbridge man is back behind bars after Fairfax County Police say he stole a vehicle from the courthouse parking lot shortly after being released from jail, then burglarized a woman’s home in Burke later the same day. Derling Gustavo Hernandez, 28, had just been released from the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center on Tuesday, May 27 when police say he stole a car from the Fairfax County Courthouse. Just hours later, at around 7 p.m., officers were called to the 9500 block of Millgate Place in Burke after a wo…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Masked Man Groping Women In Public Under Investigation In Laurel, Police Say Masked Man Groping Women In Public Under Investigation In Laurel, Police Say
Masked Man Groping Women In Public Under Investigation In Laurel, Police Say Police in Maryland are warning the public to stay alert after multiple women reported being inappropriately touched in public spaces — purportedly by the same man. The Laurel Police Department said it is actively investigating reports of a man targeting women in the area, the agency announced this week folowing several complaints.  The suspect is described as a tall Black man with a thin build, who was seen wearing a mask during the incidents. Police have not confirmed how many cases have been reported but said the behavior is being taken seriously and remains under investigation. “W…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Lanham Man Shot Dead During Dispute, 25-Year-Old Charged With Murder: Police Lanham Man Shot Dead During Dispute, 25-Year-Old Charged With Murder: Police
Lanham Man Shot Dead During Dispute, 25-Year-Old Charged With Murder: Police An argument turned deadly in Maryland — now a 25-year-old is charged with murder. Kyon Adams, of Lanham, is accused of killing 33-year-old Cameron Smith during a shooting on Lanham Severn Road, according to the Prince George’s County Police Department. The shooting happened on Monday, May 19, around 8:20 p.m., officials said. Officers responded to the 9300 block of Lanham Severn Road for a report of gunfire, and upon arrival, they found Smith suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.  He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he died shortly after of his injuries, police said. A s…

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by Zak Failla
News
Maryland Child Molester Who Eluded Justice For 30 Years Learns Fate: 'Ruined My Whole Life' Maryland Child Molester Who Eluded Justice For 30 Years Learns Fate: 'Ruined My Whole Life'
Maryland Child Molester Who Eluded Justice For 30 Years Learns Fate: 'Ruined My Whole Life' Donald Bernard Brooks made it 30 years before he was apprehended for a 1994 sexual assault involving a young boy in Maryland. Now, he will spend nearly that much time behind bars after being sentenced in Frederick County, the state's attorney's office announced. Brooks, 67, was arrested last summer after being identified as a possible sex abuse suspect who spent decades on the run dodging law enforcement. On Wednesday, May 28, prosecutors announced that Brooks was sentenced to 18 years in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of third-degree sex offense and second-degree sex offense o…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Maryland Mom, 23, Killed On Mother’s Day; Repeat Offender Charged With Murder: Police Maryland Mom, 23, Killed On Mother’s Day; Repeat Offender Charged With Murder: Police
Maryland Mom, 23, Killed On Mother’s Day; Repeat Offender Charged With Murder: Police She was just 23 — and it was Mother’s Day. Now, a Baltimore man has been charged in connection with the shooting that killed young mother Taniya Gray earlier this month in Southwest Baltimore, according to police. Tamal Johnson, 22, was arrested and charged with multiple counts of murder, conspiracy, and several firearm offenses after investigators determined he was involved in Gray’s killing on May 11, police said. The Baltimore Police Department announced his arrest on Wednesday, May 28. Investigators described Johnson as a repeat violent offender. Around 10:40 a.m. on the morning …

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by Zak Failla
News
Cafeteria Worker Grabbed Student's Neck At Triangle Elementary School: Police Cafeteria Worker Grabbed Student's Neck At Triangle Elementary School: Police
Cafeteria Worker Grabbed Student's Neck At Triangle Elementary School: Police A cafeteria worker in Northern Virginia is facing a criminal charge after allegedly grabbing an 11-year-old student by the neck inside a school cafeteria, police said. Debra Nickens, 69, of Dumfries, is charged with assault and battery following the reported incident at Triangle Elementary School on Lions Field Road in Prince William County, according to police. Officers responded to the school around 1:45 p.m. on Wednesday, May 21, to investigate an alleged incident that reportedly took place a day earlier,. Investigators say they determined that Nickens grabbed the neck of the boy while …

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by Zak Failla
Obituaries
Maryland Father Killed In Baltimore Shooting: 'Y’all Took My Heart From Me — Now It’s Broken' Maryland Father Killed In Baltimore Shooting: 'Y’all Took My Heart From Me — Now It’s Broken'
Maryland Father Killed In Baltimore Shooting: 'Y’all Took My Heart From Me — Now It’s Broken' He was the firstborn son. A father. A grandfather. A man his family says was taken far too soon. Tobias Cunningham, 50, was gunned down in Baltimore early Sunday morning, May 25, just blocks from downtown, in what his family described as "a senseless act of violence." Baltimore Police said officers were called shortly after 2 a.m. to the 400 block of North Paca Street, where they found Cunningham suffering from a gunshot wound.  He was rushed to a nearby hospital, but later died from his injuries. Homicide detectives are actively investigating the case, though no suspects have been p…

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by Zak Failla
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