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Friday, mar 21

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

Two Dogs Killed, Family Displaced In Harford County House Fire: Officials A Harford County family lost their pets and their home after a fast-moving fire tore through a basement bedroom and left two people injured, state officials said. Crews were called to the 1300 block of Tralee Circle in Aberdeen around 10:30 p.m. Thursday, March 20, where they found flames ripping through the lower level of a two-story home, according to the Maryland State Fire Marshal. The fire started in a basement bedroom and caused an estimated $200,000 in total damages, investigators said. One firefighter and one resident suffered minor injuries during the response but refused hospital…

by Zak Failla

03/21/2025

Schools

Teen Trespasser Who Shut Down Fredericksburg Schools Captured In New Jersey: Police (Updated) A 16-year-old from Fairfax County who triggered school closures in Fredericksburg after he was spotted trespassing on school grounds and fled from police was apprehended in New Jersey, authorities say. Fasihullah Safar had last been seen at James Monroe High School on Wednesday, March 19, according to the Fredericksburg Police Department. A School Resource Officer approached him, but Safar ran and disappeared before officers could locate him. Officials say the missing teen’s mental state raises “potential safety and security concerns,” prompting Fredericksburg City Public Schools to c…

by Zak Failla

03/21/2025

Police & Fire

Cop Charged With Assault In Southern Maryland, Suspended With Pay, Sheriff Says A Charles County Sheriff’s officer is off the job after being arrested on assault charges in St. Mary’s County, authorities announced. David Moats, a 1½-year veteran of the agency, was taken into custody on Thursday, March 20, and charged with second-degree assault involving a relative, according to the Charles County Sheriff’s Office. He has since been suspended with pay while the case is investigated. The sheriff’s Office of Professional Responsibility has also launched an internal investigation, officials said in a release. Moats was released following an appearance before a judge. Th…

by Zak Failla

03/21/2025

News

Man Stabbed Ex’s Grandma To Death, Then Picked Up GF, Did Taxes In Harford County: Prosecutors A Maryland man who stabbed his ex-girlfriend’s grandmother to death inside her Bel Air home calmly went on to run errands, pick up his current girlfriend, and collect his child from daycare—all after committing the brutal murder, prosecutors said. Angelo Terrell Spencer, 25, of Abingdon, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and was sentenced to life, suspended all but 75 years, on Friday, March 21, in Harford County Circuit Court, according to State’s Attorney Alison Healey. The attack happened on Feb. 22, 2024. Bel Air Police officers responded to a home for a report of a stabbing …

by Zak Failla

03/21/2025

Schools

Teacher Accused Of Grabbing Student During Class In Osbourn Park High School: Police A high school teacher in Prince William County is facing charges after allegedly grabbing a student by the neck during class, police said. Bobby Ray Lake, 64, was charged with assault and battery after an investigation into a disturbing incident that unfolded at Osbourn Park High School in Manassas on Wednesday, March 12, according to the Prince William County Police Department. The case came to light two days later, on March 14, when a school resource officer assigned to the building was notified of a possible assault involving a teacher and a 15-year-old female student. Police say the te…

by Zak Failla

03/21/2025

Police & Fire

Pharmacy Owner Named In 2021 Gainesville Sexual Assault Investigation: Police A Northern Virginia pharmacy owner is facing criminal charges after allegedly sexually assaulting a woman inside his Gainesville store years ago, police said. Davinder Pal Kahlon, 41, turned himself in to Prince William County Police on Wednesday, March 19, nearly four years after the reported assault. Davinder Pal Kahlon Prince William County Police The victim, who was an adult at the time, told detectives she went to Gainesville Pharmacy in the 7900 block of Heritage Village Plaza on January 23, 2021, shortly before closing time, according to police. While inside, the store’s own…

by Zak Failla

03/21/2025

Police & Fire

Teen Trails Victim Off Bus, Brutally Beats Him At Silver Spring McDonald's: Police A 14-year-old is facing serious charges after police say he followed a teen off a bus and launched a violent attack inside a Montgomery County McDonald’s. Officers were called around 6:35 p.m. Thursday, March 20, to the 12300 block of Georgia Avenue in the Glenmont area for reports of a fight in progress, Montgomery County Police said. When officers arrived, they saw two teens brawling behind the counter of the McDonald’s, authorities said. According to investigators, the 15-year-old victim was taking a Ride-On bus when the younger teen approached and demanded personal property. When the v…

by Zak Failla

03/21/2025

Police & Fire

Pickup Truck Erupts In Flames, Spreads To Maryland Home, Injures Man: Officials A Maryland man was hospitalized after a fiery truck blaze spread to his home in Queen Anne’s County, authorities said. Fire crews were called at 12:30 p.m. Thursday, March 20, to the 100 block of Kirby Street in Chester, where they found a 2012 Chevrolet Silverado engulfed in flames and the fire spreading to a nearby home, according to the Maryland State Fire Marshal’s Office. Investigators said the homeowner had driven the pickup earlier in the day and later saw fire coming from the engine compartment while it was parked in the driveway. Strong winds and the truck’s proximity to the home …

by Zak Failla

03/21/2025

Police & Fire

Student Helps Expose Staffer Filming Kids At Virginia Elementary School: Sheriff See something, say something. A courageous student is being praised in Stafford County after stepping up and helping expose a paraprofessional accused of secretly filming kids at an elementary school. On March 18, a student at Conway Elementary School told a teacher that a staff member had been “acting inappropriately” toward another student, the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office said. That tip sparked a fast-moving investigation by the school’s resource officer and the Special Victims Unit, leading to the arrest of 56-year-old Eric Van Orden of Stafford. Van Orden, a paraprofessional at t…

by Zak Failla

03/21/2025

Traffic

Woodbridge Man Hit Twice, Killed Crossing Virginia Highway—One Driver Fled, Police Say A 53-year-old man was struck and killed by two separate vehicles in a fatal hit-and-run crash in Northern Virginia, police announced. Miles Jonathan Moore, of Woodbridge, died on Thursday night, March 20, after being hit while trying to cross Richmond Highway near Easy Street, according to the Prince William County Police Department. Officers were called to the scene shortly after 9 p.m. for reports of an unconscious man in the roadway. The initial investigation found Moore had been hit by a 2012 Toyota Highlander traveling south on Richmond Highway as he crossed outside a crosswalk. Momen…

by Zak Failla

03/21/2025

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