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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
Gunman Caught After Frederick Shooting — But Victims Won’t Talk, Police Say Gunman Caught After Frederick Shooting — But Victims Won’t Talk, Police Say
Gunman Caught After Frederick Shooting — But Victims Won’t Talk, Police Say A man accused of opening fire on two others on a busy Maryland street was tracked down by police after a days-long search, according to the Frederick Police Department. Nyzeir Sampson, 28, was located and taken into custody in Hagerstown on Monday, May 5, with help from the US Marshals Task Force, officials said.  He faces multiple charges in connection to the double shooting, including attempted first-degree murder. The incident happened around 6:40 p.m. on Monday, April 28, in the 1100 block of Key Parkway. Officers responded to reports of shots fired and found two men suffering fro…

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by Zak Failla
Schools
Cocaine Confiscated From Student At Thomas Stone High School, Sheriff Says Cocaine Confiscated From Student At Thomas Stone High School, Sheriff Says
Cocaine Confiscated From Student At Thomas Stone High School, Sheriff Says An "adult student" in Maryland found out the hard way that bringing drugs to school is a bad idea — particularly if it’s cocaine. A Youth Engagement Advocate with Charles County Public Schools discovered a vaping device and suspected cocaine during an administrative search at a Thomas Stone High School on Monday, May 5, the Charles County Sheriff’s Office announced. The adult student was caught during the routine search and is now facing criminal charges.  “The student will face disciplinary consequences in accordance with the Charles County Public Schools Code of Student Conduct and …

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Great Mills Man Responsible For Sheetz Murder Faces Life Behind Bars, Officials Say Great Mills Man Responsible For Sheetz Murder Faces Life Behind Bars, Officials Say
Great Mills Man Responsible For Sheetz Murder Faces Life Behind Bars, Officials Say A 20-year-old man has been convicted of first-degree murder for his role in a deadly shooting outside a Maryland gas station, officials announced. James Jerome Adams Jr., of Great Mills, was found guilty by a St. Mary’s County jury in connection to the 2023 murder of a 26-year-old man at a Sheetz in Great Mills, according to State’s Attorney Jaymi Sterling on Monday, May 6. Deputies responded to the gas station on Old Great Mills Road on April 4, 2023, after gunfire erupted in the parking lot. A "thorough investigation," which included surveillance video, revealed Adams and multiple accomp…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Maryland Ref Showed Up To Youth Soccer Game Drunk In Dunkirk, Sheriff Says Maryland Ref Showed Up To Youth Soccer Game Drunk In Dunkirk, Sheriff Says
Maryland Ref Showed Up To Youth Soccer Game Drunk In Dunkirk, Sheriff Says A referee working a youth soccer match in Southern Maryland was pulled from the field and cuffed after concerned parents said he appeared drunk — and deputies say he blew nearly three times the legal limit. James Adam Riffe, 44, of Waldorf, was arrested at a park in Dunkirk after allegedly showing up intoxicated to officiate games, the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday, May 6. The call came in late last month, when deputies were dispatched to the Ward Farm Recreation and Nature Park on Ward Road for a welfare check.  Parents and witnesses told deputies the referee working t…

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by Zak Failla
Schools
Mom, School Worker Dies Days After Being Hit By Car Walking Dog Following Softball Game In PA Mom, School Worker Dies Days After Being Hit By Car Walking Dog Following Softball Game In PA
Mom, School Worker Dies Days After Being Hit By Car Walking Dog Following Softball Game In PA A beloved Maryland mother who captured the hearts of the DMV region in the wake of a devastating crash in Pennsylvania has died, her family confirmed. Margo Cook, 39, who recently started a new job at Boonsboro Elementary in Maryland, was hit by a car while crossing the road in Greencastle, Pennsylvania, on Friday, April 25, according to police. She was walking with her dog, Mae, following a softball game when she was struck, her family said. Cook suffered severe head and leg injuries and was rushed to Meritus Medical Center before being transferred to the University of Maryland Shock Trau…

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by Zak Failla
Obituaries
Beloved Coach, Mentor, Father Of George Mason Final Four Star Mourned: ‘A True Legend’ Beloved Coach, Mentor, Father Of George Mason Final Four Star Mourned: ‘A True Legend’
Beloved Coach, Mentor, Father Of George Mason Final Four Star Mourned: ‘A True Legend’ Coach Lamar Butler Sr. didn’t just build basketball players in the DMV — he built men. The DMV basketball world is mourning the loss of Coach Lamar Butler Sr., a beloved mentor, husband, grandfather, and father to George Mason Final Four standout Lamar Butler Jr., who passed away this week.  He was more than a coach — he was a pillar, his loved ones said. Butler shaped generations of young athletes, not only with his love for the game, but with values that extended far beyond the hardwood: discipline, integrity, teamwork, and self-belief.  His contagious smile and unwavering com…

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by Zak Failla
Sports
Ravens Release Kicker Justin Tucker Amid Sexual Misconduct Probe By NFL Ravens Release Kicker Justin Tucker Amid Sexual Misconduct Probe By NFL
Ravens Release Kicker Justin Tucker Amid Sexual Misconduct Probe By NFL The most accurate kicker in NFL history is without a job. On Monday afternoon, the Baltimore Ravens confirmed that Justin Tucker was being released as the kicker faces mounting claims of sexual assault. "Sometimes football decisions are incredibly difficult, and this is one of those instances," Ravens Executive Vice President and General Manager Eric DeCosta said in a statement. "Considering our current roster, we have made the tough decision to release Justin Tucker."  A total of 16 massage therapists from eight Baltimore-area spas have accused Tucker of improper conduct. All say Tu…

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by Zak Failla
News
Text Trail Sinks Man, 20, In Woodbridge Child Rape Case: Police Text Trail Sinks Man, 20, In Woodbridge Child Rape Case: Police
Text Trail Sinks Man, 20, In Woodbridge Child Rape Case: Police Several disturbing messages found by a family member led to the arrest of a 20-year-old Northern Virginia man who allegedly raped a minor in Woodbridge.  Nicolas Alejandro Ponce was arrested over the weekend, after officers launched an investigation into a reported sexual assault that occurred the previous weekend in the 13900 block of Mattapony Drive, the Prince William County Police Department announced. The assault took place on Saturday, April 27, according to police. The investigation revealed that Ponce arranged transportation for the child to come to Woodbridge, where they met …

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Mother Killed In Maryland Shooting Leaves Behind 3-Year-Old Son: ‘She Was A Beautiful Soul' Mother Killed In Maryland Shooting Leaves Behind 3-Year-Old Son: ‘She Was A Beautiful Soul'
Mother Killed In Maryland Shooting Leaves Behind 3-Year-Old Son: ‘She Was A Beautiful Soul' A young Virginia mother was shot and left at a Maryland hospital.  Now, her family is remembering her as a “beautiful soul” and rallying to support the little boy she left behind. Brianna Burton, 24, of Centreville, was a devoted mom to a 3-year-old boy when she was shot and killed in what police are calling a domestic-related murder. Around 7:20 a.m. on Sunday, April 27, Montgomery County Police responded to a Silver Spring hospital where Burton had been dropped off by a man who fled the scene.  She was pronounced dead shortly after. Investigators determined the shooting happe…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Hookah Lounge Shooting Leaves One Dead, Four Injured In Baltimore County: Police Hookah Lounge Shooting Leaves One Dead, Four Injured In Baltimore County: Police
Hookah Lounge Shooting Leaves One Dead, Four Injured In Baltimore County: Police A 28-year-old man has died and four others were hurt following a shooting inside a Maryland hookah lounge, police confirmed. Officers responded to the 1800 block of Woodlawn Drive in Baltimore County shortly after 12:30 a.m. on Friday, May 2, for reports of a shooting, according to Baltimore County Police. Inside the Azuz Hookah Lounge, officers found two men suffering from gunshot wounds. Three additional victims later showed up at area hospitals — two of whom also had gunshot wounds, police said. One of the victims, identified as Elijah Lamback, 28, was rushed from the scene to the hospi…

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by Zak Failla
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