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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

Police & Fire
VIDEO: Arlington Arsonist Who Set Businesses Ablaze Arrested In Alexandria: Fire Marshal VIDEO: Arlington Arsonist Who Set Businesses Ablaze Arrested In Alexandria: Fire Marshal
Video: Arlington Arsonist Who Set Businesses Ablaze Arrested In Alexandria: Fire Marshal A man accused of setting a string of fires that damaged businesses in Arlington has been taken into custody a week later, authorities announced. Local resident Timothy Clark Pollock was arrested early on Thursday, Jan. 16 following an investigation into a series of fires set at businesses along 23rd Street South earlier this month.  Firefighters were dispatched to the area around 5:30 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 9 for a report of a fire at 529 S. 23rd St. in Arlington. Crews found items burning in an enclosed patio, which were quickly extinguished by a sprinkler system and firefighters bef…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Gaithersburg FBI Agent Tricked Aspiring Models, Raped Them At Tattoo Parlor: Indictment Gaithersburg FBI Agent Tricked Aspiring Models, Raped Them At Tattoo Parlor: Indictment
Gaithersburg FBI Agent Tricked Aspiring Models, Raped Them At Tattoo Parlor: Indictment The FBI special agent from Montgomery County accused of sexually assaulting multiple women has been indicted on a host of charges, authorities announced. Eduardo Valdivia, 40, also known as "Lalo Brown," was arrested late last year following an investigation into reports of rape and other offenses at the Gaithersburg tattoo studio he owns, according to the Montgomery County State's Attorney's Office. Valdivia owns DC Fine Line Tattoos on the 9800 block of Washingtonian Boulevard, where the alleged assaults occurred. Initially, two women came forward reporting sexual abuse, leading to Valdi…

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by Zak Failla
Obituaries
Widow Who Lost Daughter, Husband Months Apart In Hagerstown Looks Ahead Widow Who Lost Daughter, Husband Months Apart In Hagerstown Looks Ahead
Widow Who Lost Daughter, Husband Months Apart In Hagerstown Looks Ahead Friends and well-wishers are coming together to help a Maryland woman move forward after tragedy struck her Hagerstown family repeatedly. The community has raised thousands of dollars on behalf of Kim Liller, the widow of insurance agent Jason Liller, 44, who recently passed away, continuing a tragic trend of family members unexpectedly dying. Jason Liller died on Friday, Jan. 10, following the death of his sister, Erica, in 2021, and daughter 13-year-old Jane, in April last year. "Jason would be the first to say that his life didn't really start until he became a father in 2010," his obit…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Illegal Procedures Performed On Malnourished Dogs In Charlotte Hall Cruelty Case: Sheriff Illegal Procedures Performed On Malnourished Dogs In Charlotte Hall Cruelty Case: Sheriff
Illegal Procedures Performed On Malnourished Dogs In Charlotte Hall Cruelty Case: Sheriff Two people are facing serious charges after members of the St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office rescued dozens of dogs who were living in "unsafe and unhealthy conditions," authorities announced. Kelvin Lovern Shepherd, 51, and Dominique Tiasha Parrish, 35, both of Charlotte Hall, were taken into custody following an extensive investigation that concluded on Wednesday with their arrests for animal cruelty. On Jan. 15, deputies responded to a home in the 30000 block of Gershwin Road in Charlotte Hall to probe a suspected animal cruelty case. Upon arrival, deputies found dogs malnourished…

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by Zak Failla
News
Man Kicked Out Of Nightclub Convicted Of Parking Garage Murder In Silver Spring (VIDEO) Man Kicked Out Of Nightclub Convicted Of Parking Garage Murder In Silver Spring (VIDEO)
Man Kicked Out Of Nightclub Convicted Of Parking Garage Murder In Silver Spring (Video) The shooter who opened fire into a group of people and killed a man after getting kicked out of a nightclub in Montgomery County has been convicted, authorities announced. Ramone Christopher Ramsay, who has no known address, was found guilty of murder and other charges by a jury in connection to the murder of 21-year-old Baltimore resident Kymani Elijah Bailey in July 2023. Kymani Elijah Bailey Montgomery County State's Attorney's Office At approximately 2:40 a.m. on July 8, 2023, officers were called to the Montgomery County Public Parking Garage 3 in the 900 block of Silver Sprin…

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by Zak Failla
Politics
Resign Or Step Down: Harford Councilman Faces Big Decision After Double-Duty Ethics Violation Resign Or Step Down: Harford Councilman Faces Big Decision After Double-Duty Ethics Violation
Resign Or Step Down: Harford Councilman Faces Big Decision After Double-Duty Ethics Violation Harford County Councilman Aaron Penman is facing pressure after a probe determined that he violated ethics law by pulling double duty.  The Harford County Board of Ethics released their findings into a complaint that the elected official had conflicts of interests by serving as both a member of the Council and employee of the sheriff's office. Filed in February 2024 prosecutors made claims of alleged violations of the Harford County Public Ethics Law due to this dual employment, participation in matters involving the sheriff’s office, and the use of non-public information in personal l…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
New Details: Hyattsville Rideshare Driver Killed In Cold Blood, Arrest Made New Details: Hyattsville Rideshare Driver Killed In Cold Blood, Arrest Made
New Details: Hyattsville Rideshare Driver Killed In Cold Blood, Arrest Made A 21-year-old shooting suspect from Virginia has been arrested and charged in connection to the fatal shooting of a rideshare driver in Maryland on New Year's Day, authorities announced. Oluwatosin Adetula, 36, died at an area hospital days after he was shot on Wednesday, Jan. 1 while working in Cottage City, according to the Prince George's County Police Department. On Thursday, Jan. 16, the agency said that Chantilly, VA's Brandon Leonard has been charged with the murder for the parking lot shooting. Officers were called at around 10:40 p.m. on the night of the shooting to the 3300 block…

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by Zak Failla
Obituaries
Christmas Tragedy: Ashburn's Jason Hetterly Leaves Behind a Legacy of Love and Inspiration Christmas Tragedy: Ashburn's Jason Hetterly Leaves Behind a Legacy of Love and Inspiration
Christmas Tragedy: Ashburn's Jason Hetterly Leaves Behind a Legacy of Love and Inspiration It'll be the little things that friends and family miss following the unexpected passing of Jason Hetterly on Christmas Day in Virginia. Hetterly, 41, enjoyed Christmas Eve surrounded by family and friends, but was gone the following morning leaving a hole behind his family is still trying to fill. "Jason accepted and understood my idiosyncrasies in a way others didn’t," his mother said. "Living nearby, I got to spend time with him doing mundane things like trips to the grocery store or playing a game of Skip-Bo at Panera.  "I loved talking with him about issues and stories in the…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Fleeing Burglar Who Rammed Cop In Major Leesburg Crime Spree Captured In CT: Officials Fleeing Burglar Who Rammed Cop In Major Leesburg Crime Spree Captured In CT: Officials
Fleeing Burglar Who Rammed Cop In Major Leesburg Crime Spree Captured In CT: Officials A New York man has been extradited from Connecticut to Virginia to face charges for burglary and assaulting an officer in what authorities described as a major crime spree. Brooklyn native Shawn C. Adito Adams, 34, was transferred back to Loudoun County, VA and taken into custody after being held at the Department of Corrections in Hartford, CT, where he was arrested on unrelated charges, officials said. Adams was wanted in connection with two retail thefts at the LIDS store on Fort Evans Road NE in Leesburg in April and May last year. During the second incident, police say Adams …

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by Zak Failla
Obituaries
Death Of Frederick 'Dance Mom,' Insurance Agent Allison Seaton, 51, Spreads Shock, Sadness Death Of Frederick 'Dance Mom,' Insurance Agent Allison Seaton, 51, Spreads Shock, Sadness
Death Of Frederick 'Dance Mom,' Insurance Agent Allison Seaton, 51, Spreads Shock, Sadness Friends and family of Allison Seaton are still reeling in Frederick County weeks after the doting mother of two passed away over the holidays. Seaton, 51, died on Christmas Eve after battling a short illness, according to her obituary, leaving behind a son, daughter, sister, and countless friends. "Allison’s warmth, kindness, and dedication touched the lives of everyone she met, whether through her work at the dance studio or her career in insurance," Jordan Travers, who organized a GoFundMe campaign on the family's behalf, said. "She always put others first, offering support and love with…

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by Zak Failla
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