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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
Misfiring Gun Foils Murder Plot Involving VA Man, Mother Of Child In Frederick: Prosecutors Misfiring Gun Foils Murder Plot Involving VA Man, Mother Of Child In Frederick: Prosecutors
Misfiring Gun Foils Murder Plot Involving VA Man, Mother Of Child In Frederick: Prosecutors A Virginia man who traveled to Frederick and pulled the trigger on a woman he once threatened to kill — only for the gun to misfire — will now spend the rest of his life behind bars, officials said. David Clayton Hanson, 35, was sentenced Wednesday, Feb. 26, in Frederick County Circuit Court to 93 years in prison after a jury convicted him of the harrowing assault of a woman he shares a child with. Specifically, Hanson was found guilty of:  Two counts of first-degree assault; Two counts of using a firearm in a violent crime;  Illegal possession of a regulated firearm;  Il…

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by Zak Failla
News
Lancaster Man Who Sexually Abused Young Girl For Years In PA Learns Fate Lancaster Man Who Sexually Abused Young Girl For Years In PA Learns Fate
Lancaster Man Who Sexually Abused Young Girl For Years In PA Learns Fate A Pennsylvania man was given a lengthy prison sentence after pleading no content to raping a juvenile for years, authorities announced. Ivan Maldonado Jr., 36, was sentenced to a term of between 7 and 25 years in state prison after pleading earlier this month to nearly two dozen offenses, according to the Lancaster County District Attorney's Office. Specifically, Maldonado pleaded no contest to offenses including rape of a child, unlawful contact with a minor, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child and other charges. Prosecutors say that the plea means Maldonado accepted&…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
$679K In Damages Reported After Lithium-Ion Battery Fire At Aldie Home, Officials Say $679K In Damages Reported After Lithium-Ion Battery Fire At Aldie Home, Officials Say
$679K In Damages Reported After Lithium-Ion Battery Fire At Aldie Home, Officials Say A fire sparked by a lithium-ion battery caused nearly $700,000 in damages and displaced four people in Aldie early Wednesday morning, according to Loudoun County Fire and Rescue officials. Emergency crews were dispatched around 3:15 a.m. on Feb. 26 to the 40900 block of Richland Meadow Place in the Little River District after multiple 911 callers reported a house fire. When firefighters arrived, flames were tearing through the garage and upper levels of the single-family home. Crews launched an aggressive attack, deploying multiple handlines and searching the home for possible victims. I…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Manassas Man Hits 100 MPH In High-Speed Chase With Woman Trapped In Car, Sheriff Says Manassas Man Hits 100 MPH In High-Speed Chase With Woman Trapped In Car, Sheriff Says
Manassas Man Hits 100 MPH In High-Speed Chase With Woman Trapped In Car, Sheriff Says A wanted Manassas man is behind bars after leading law enforcement on a dangerous high-speed chase—hitting speeds of 100 mph—with a woman trapped inside his truck, according to the Fauquier County Sheriff’s Office. Devante R. Payne, 31, was driving a Mitsubishi SUV westbound on I-66 around 2:15 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 25, when officers with the Blue Ridge Gang and Drug Task Force attempted a traffic stop for improper registration. But instead of pulling over, Payne floored it, sparking a reckless pursuit that reached 100 mph, investigators said. The chase continued onto Leeds Manor Road, whe…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
90 MPH Pursuit Through Spotsylvania Ends In Crash, Arrest: Sheriff 90 MPH Pursuit Through Spotsylvania Ends In Crash, Arrest: Sheriff
90 MPH Pursuit Through Spotsylvania Ends In Crash, Arrest: Sheriff A Spotsy man with a suspended license is facing multiple charges after a wild, high-speed chase through town ended with him crashing into a concrete median, authorities said. Christopher Blaser, 38, was spotted around 3:40 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 26, speeding over 90 mph eastbound on Plank Road near Orange Plank Road, according to the Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies attempted to pull Blaser over near Spotswood Furnace Road, but Blaser refused to stop, sparking a dangerous pursuit. Blaser continued to blow through red lights and race at high speeds, turning onto Harrison Road…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Fentanyl, Cocaine Seized From Felon During Raid In Great Mills: Sheriff Fentanyl, Cocaine Seized From Felon During Raid In Great Mills: Sheriff
Fentanyl, Cocaine Seized From Felon During Raid In Great Mills: Sheriff A convicted felon is back behind bars after deputies in St. Mary’s County seized a stash of drugs, cash, and a loaded “ghost gun” during a major raid in Great Mills, authorities said. Daiquan Malik Barnett, 28, of Great Mills, was arrested Wednesday, Feb. 26, after deputies from the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division, along with federal agents executed search warrants at a residence in the 22000 block of Baja Lane and several vehicles. Barnett, already banned from owning firearms due to previous felony convictions, now faces a slew of new charges after inves…

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by Zak Failla
Schools
Students Sold Magic Mushroom-Laced Candy At Hylton High School: Police Students Sold Magic Mushroom-Laced Candy At Hylton High School: Police
Students Sold Magic Mushroom-Laced Candy At Hylton High School: Police Two Woodbridge teenagers are facing serious charges after allegedly selling candy bars laced with a controlled substance to fellow students at Hylton High School, according to Prince William County Police. An investigation was launched last week, when a School Resource Officer assigned to the building was notified of a pair distributing the items. Police say that on Friday, Feb. 14, two 17-year-old students—one male and one female—reportedly sold candy bars suspected of containing psilocybin mushrooms, a hallucinogenic substance, to another student on school grounds. The scheme came to lig…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Armed Motorcyclist Hit 88MPH During High-Speed Pursuit In Stafford, Sheriff Says Armed Motorcyclist Hit 88MPH During High-Speed Pursuit In Stafford, Sheriff Says
Armed Motorcyclist Hit 88MPH During High-Speed Pursuit In Stafford, Sheriff Says A Stafford man learned the hard way that speeding past sheriff's deputies with meth, weapons, and a 10-year expired registration is a fast track to jail. Michael Rock, 30, was arrested Tuesday, Feb. 25, after leading deputies on a high-speed motorcycle pursuit down Warrenton Road, according to the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office. The wild ride started around 3:25 p.m. when a deputy clocked a motorcycle speeding southbound at 88 mph in a 55 mph zone.  Rock weaved through traffic and tried to ditch the deputy, forcing him to end the chase near Village Parkway due to heavy traffic. …

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by Zak Failla
News
$5K In Fentanyl, Cocaine Seized During Reading Drug Bust; Two Women Arrested $5K In Fentanyl, Cocaine Seized During Reading Drug Bust; Two Women Arrested
$5K In Fentanyl, Cocaine Seized During Reading Drug Bust; Two Women Arrested Two Reading women were arrested after a Berks County Drug Task Force raid uncovered fentanyl, cocaine, and drug paraphernalia worth $5,000, officials said. Susan Rich, 46, and Autumn Yerger, 42, were taken into custody around 6 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 26, after detectives executed a search warrant at their apartment on the first floor of 311 N. 9th Street, according to Berks County Chief County Detective Michael Gombar. The bust followed a two-month investigation sparked by complaints of drug sales at the address, officials said. Detectives seized: 4.3 grams of suspected fentanyl; 18 bundle…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
First Fire-Related Deaths Of The Year In Anne Arundel: Elderly Couple Killed In Annapolis Blaze First Fire-Related Deaths Of The Year In Anne Arundel: Elderly Couple Killed In Annapolis Blaze
First Fire-Related Deaths Of The Year In Anne Arundel: Elderly Couple Killed In Annapolis Blaze An elderly pair who died in a devastating Annapolis townhome fire have been confirmed as the first fire-related fatalities of the year in Anne Arundel County, officials said. Paul D. Tisdale, 84, and Pamala S. Fox, 70, lost their lives when flames ripped through their home in the 900 block of Riversedge Circle on Thursday, Feb. 20, according to the Anne Arundel County Fire Department, which identified them on Wednesday. Crews were dispatched around 9:45 p.m. and arrived to find the middle-of-the-row townhouse fully engulfed. Firefighters launched an aggressive attack on the blaze while…

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by Zak Failla
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