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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

Business
Community Rallying As Plans To Sell Popular Laurel Business Go Up In Flames Community Rallying As Plans To Sell Popular Laurel Business Go Up In Flames
Community Rallying As Plans To Sell Popular Laurel Business Go Up In Flames Support is swelling for a beloved business owner whose Main Street building is temporarily closed after a blaze broke out in Prince George's County. Outback Leather, a staple of the community, was forced to shutter its doors and some tenants had to evacuate their homes when a fire broke out on Monday in Laurel, officials say. The fire was reported at around 11:15 a.m. on Aug. 12, when crews were met by flames showing from the second story of the multi-use building that houses both apartments and the popular leather shop, which specializes in repairs and custom products. Working Fire Di…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Man Serving Time Faces New Charges For Auto Shop Arson, Stolen Truck In Frederick: Sheriff Man Serving Time Faces New Charges For Auto Shop Arson, Stolen Truck In Frederick: Sheriff
Man Serving Time Faces New Charges For Auto Shop Arson, Stolen Truck In Frederick: Sheriff The man who set a Maryland auto shop on fire and stole a pick-up truck that was later found parked in the Potomac River has been apprehended in Frederick County, authorities announced. In late May, first responders were called to Hi Lo Auto Sales in the 5000 block of Urbana Pike, where there was a reported fire and theft at the business. The incident was reported shortly before 3 a.m. on Wednesday, May 29. According to the Frederick County Sheriff's Office, upon arrival, fire crews were met by smoke coming from the building, and it was later determined that it was a case of arson by the fi…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Residents Ordered To 'Shelter In Place' Amid Armed Barricade Situation In Maryland Residents Ordered To 'Shelter In Place' Amid Armed Barricade Situation In Maryland
Residents Ordered To 'Shelter In Place' Amid Armed Barricade Situation In Maryland Some residents have been advised to stay in their homes as the Prince George's County Police Department continues to attempt to peacefully negotiate a barricade situation in Langley Park. An alert was issued early on Friday morning advising that Merrimac Drive was shut down between 14th Avenue and Keokee Street, and neighbors were cautioned to shelter in place in the lowest level of their home following reports of shots fired that led to a standoff with officers. The incident was reported in the 8200 block of 17th Avenue. Police said that others inside the single-family home were able to e…

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by Zak Failla
Lifestyle
Westminster Man Picks Up Sweetener For Sweetheart, $50K Lottery During Lucky Walmart Trip Westminster Man Picks Up Sweetener For Sweetheart, $50K Lottery During Lucky Walmart Trip
Westminster Man Picks Up Sweetener For Sweetheart, $50K Lottery During Lucky Walmart Trip A romantic Carroll County man has big plans after winning a $50,000 jackpot on a Maryland Lottery scratcher sold at an area Walmart. Sporting his finest Slayer t-shirt this week, Westminster resident Brian Murray was happy to take the short trek to Maryland Lottery Headquarters in Baltimore on Aug. 14 to claim the unexpected five-figure prize. "I wore my favorite band shirt to (make the) claim," he said while signing the paperwork to collect his money. "This is the coolest thing that has ever happened to me."  Murray said that he tends to play a few scratch-off tickets every other wee…

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by Zak Failla
News
Wanted Drug Dealing Duo Planning To Distribute CDS Busted During Stop In Stafford: Sheriff Wanted Drug Dealing Duo Planning To Distribute CDS Busted During Stop In Stafford: Sheriff
Wanted Drug Dealing Duo Planning To Distribute CDS Busted During Stop In Stafford: Sheriff A pair already wanted for their past indiscretions is facing fresh drug charges following a dubious traffic stop in Stafford County on Wednesday night. Earlier this month, the sheriff's office launched an investigation into Jeremy Miller, 38, and Kiresten Torkos Incontri, 39, both from Stafford, which led to warrants for their arrest for multiple counts of distribution of controlled substances. According to the Stafford County Sheriff's Office, at around 6:20 p.m. on Aug. 14, the agency was tipped off about Miller's location, leading to a plan to bust them. A deputy positioned himself into…

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by Zak Failla
News
Two Released On Bond For Maryland Auto Thefts Busted With Stolen Car In Montgomery County: PD Two Released On Bond For Maryland Auto Thefts Busted With Stolen Car In Montgomery County: PD
Two Released On Bond For Maryland Auto Thefts Busted With Stolen Car In Montgomery County: PD A 19-year-old man took out an Amazon locker in a botched attempt to avoid his arrest after being busted in connection to multiple vehicle thefts in Montgomery County and surrounding areas, police say. Hyattsville resident DeJuan Jenifer and Makiya Donohue, 19, of Silver Spring, are both facing charges in connection to an ongoing investigation into a rash of vehicle thefts that have plagued the area in recent weeks. The deceitful duo's downfall came early on Tuesday, Aug. 13, when officers spotted them inside a 2020 Kia Sportage that had Florida tags and had been reported stolen out of Washi…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Police ID Armed Man Shot, Killed In Officer-Involved Shooting At Alexandria Apartment Complex Police ID Armed Man Shot, Killed In Officer-Involved Shooting At Alexandria Apartment Complex
Police ID Armed Man Shot, Killed In Officer-Involved Shooting At Alexandria Apartment Complex New details have been released by the Alexandria Police Department following an officer-involved shooting that left a possibly suicidal man dead earlier this week. Officers were called at around 10:45 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 12 to a home on Maris Avenue after a co-worker asked police to conduct a welfare check regarding 61-year-old Paul Gabriel Behan, Jr., who was reportedly in distress, officials say. The caller reported the incident stated Behan "made very concerning statements about harming himself," and advised that "he was armed with at least two guns."  Officers and specially train…

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by Zak Failla
News
Teen Charged With False Reporting Following Swatting Incident In Leesburg: Police Teen Charged With False Reporting Following Swatting Incident In Leesburg: Police
Teen Charged With False Reporting Following Swatting Incident In Leesburg: Police An 18-year-old has been identified and charged as the person responsible for a reported swatting incident at a Loudoun County Safeway earlier this summer, police say. Leesburg resident Caleb Wolfe, has been charged with false emergency communication to emergency personnel - a misdemeanor - stemming from a false report of an armed robbery in July. At around 7 p.m. on Saturday, July 13, police say that the Leesburg Police Department Emergency Communications Center received a report of a robbery at the grocery store on South King Street involving two people armed with knives who armed a m…

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by Zak Failla
News
Cat Found On Streets Around Frederick Neighborhood Tests Positive For Rabies: Health Officials Cat Found On Streets Around Frederick Neighborhood Tests Positive For Rabies: Health Officials
Cat Found On Streets Around Frederick Neighborhood Tests Positive For Rabies: Health Officials The Frederick County Health Department is cautioning that a cat found roaming around an area neighborhood has tested positive for rabies. An alert was issued on Thursday, Aug. 15, advising the community that a cat that was tracked down in the 3000 block of Garfield Road that later tested positive for the virus after attacking two people. Officials say that on Wednesday, there were multiple reports about a stray cat who had become feral and went after people in the area. It was picked up by Frederick County Animal Control in the area of Garfield Road, John Cline Road, and Brown Road. Goog…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Waldorf Man Targeting Teen Girl Online Arrested For Sexual Solicitation Of Minor: State Police Waldorf Man Targeting Teen Girl Online Arrested For Sexual Solicitation Of Minor: State Police
Waldorf Man Targeting Teen Girl Online Arrested For Sexual Solicitation Of Minor: State Police A Waldorf man who allegedly preyed on minors online for months was busted by an undercover state police investigator and is behind bars in Anne Arundel County. Rafee Al-Mansur, 33, is facing charges after targeting a purported 13-year-old girl in an online chat over the course of several weeks, according to Maryland State Police investigators. In April, members of the Maryland Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force launched a probe into the sexual solicitation of a minor over the Internet.  The investigation led to Al-Mansur being identified as a suspect, who believed he was…

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by Zak Failla
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