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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
High On PCP, Booze, Weed: Mechanicsville Man Who Stabbed Driver In Car Learns Prison Fate High On PCP, Booze, Weed: Mechanicsville Man Who Stabbed Driver In Car Learns Prison Fate
High On PCP, Booze, Weed: Mechanicsville Man Who Stabbed Driver In Car Learns Prison Fate Fueled by PCP, marijuana, and alcohol, a Maryland man who stabbed another man during a bizarre ride dispute is now heading to prison. James Mark Kimble, 39, of Mechanicsville, was convicted by a jury in April and sentenced this week to 15 years in prison for first-degree assault and weapons offenses, the Charles County State's Attorney's Office announced on Thursday. The stabbing happened on Dec. 27, 2023.  That night, officers were called to University of Maryland Charles Regional Medical Center in La Plata after the victim showed up with serious injuries.  He told investigator…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Stafford Man Snatches Trump Hat, Assaults Supporter At Bar, Sheriff Says Stafford Man Snatches Trump Hat, Assaults Supporter At Bar, Sheriff Says
Stafford Man Snatches Trump Hat, Assaults Supporter At Bar, Sheriff Says A political argument turned into a head-turning arrest at a Virginia bar when a Stafford County man reportedly assaulted someone over a Trump hat, authorities say. Deputies say 42-year-old Donald Carter Jr. spotted the victim wearing the hat before 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 11 at Jay’s Sports Lounge on Richmond Highway and didn’t like what he saw — or believed. Deputies responded to a difference in "political appearances," according to the Stafford County Sheriff's Office. That’s when Carter allegedly snatched the man’s hat and assaulted him during the scuffle, officials said. After a…

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by Zak Failla
News
Body Recovered From Rappahannock River In Stafford County: Sheriff Body Recovered From Rappahannock River In Stafford County: Sheriff
Body Recovered From Rappahannock River In Stafford County: Sheriff A body was pulled from the Rappahannock River in Virginia, authorities said. Deputies in Stafford County responded to the 100 block of Riverside Drive around 9:39 a.m. Wednesday, June 11, after someone reported seeing a body floating in the water, according to the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office. With help from Stafford Fire and Rescue and the Fredericksburg Police Department, first responders recovered the body of a man from the river, the sheriff’s office said. He was confirmed dead at the scene. “Foul play is not suspected at this time,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement on Thu…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Officer Shot Responding To Domestic Call; Barricade Ongoing In Hagerstown: Police (DEVELOPING) Officer Shot Responding To Domestic Call; Barricade Ongoing In Hagerstown: Police (DEVELOPING)
Officer Shot Responding To Domestic Call; Barricade Ongoing In Hagerstown: Police (Developing) An officer is recovering after being shot during a domestic violence call in Washington County, where a suspect remains barricaded in a home as of late Thursday morning. Officers responded around 5 a.m. to the 700 block of Forrest Drive on June 12, where a man opened fire and struck a Hagerstown Police Department officer in the arm, officials said.  The officer was rushed into surgery and is now in recovery. “We know the suspect has a weapon and already shot a police officer,” a police spokesperson said in an update just before 9:45 a.m. “We are using extreme caution and professionali…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Carroll County Drug Ring Busted; Westminster Pair Jailed After SWAT Raids, Sheriff Says Carroll County Drug Ring Busted; Westminster Pair Jailed After SWAT Raids, Sheriff Says
Carroll County Drug Ring Busted; Westminster Pair Jailed After SWAT Raids, Sheriff Says Two alleged drug traffickers are behind bars in Carroll County after a major multi-agency bust that spanned six months and involved SWAT teams, the DEA, and local police from three counties, authorities announced. Antonio Alfonso Liason, 38, and Jessica Brooke Smith, 47, both of Westminster, were arrested this week, during a sweeping takedown involving search warrants across Carroll County and Baltimore, according to the sheriff's office. “These search warrants were a result of a joint investigation spanning approximately six months, targeting the distribution of large quantities of illicit…

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by Zak Failla
Obituaries
Maryland Mom Of 3 Dies After Rare Breast Cancer Battle: ‘She Was The Heart Of Her Family’ Maryland Mom Of 3 Dies After Rare Breast Cancer Battle: ‘She Was The Heart Of Her Family’
Maryland Mom Of 3 Dies After Rare Breast Cancer Battle: ‘She Was The Heart Of Her Family’ A Frederick County family is facing an unimaginable loss after Melanie Renae Acheampong, a 38-year-old mother of three, died following a courageous battle with triple-negative breast cancer, her loved ones confirmed. Acheampong passed away on Sunday, June 8, 2025, surrounded by her husband Yaw Acheampong, her parents Ed and Renae Tippett, her sisters, extended family, and close friends, according to the family.  “She was the heart of her family; a devoted wife to Yaw and a loving, hands-on mother to their three young children: Cameron, 8, Quentin, 6, and Mya,” organizers of a GoFundMe …

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by Zak Failla
Traffic
Amtrak Train Service Halted In Baltimore After Vehicle Found On Tracks (DEVELOPING) Amtrak Train Service Halted In Baltimore After Vehicle Found On Tracks (DEVELOPING)
Amtrak Train Service Halted In Baltimore After Vehicle Found On Tracks (Developing) All Amtrak train traffic in and out of Baltimore has been suspended while authorities investigate a vehicle found on the tracks, officials said Wednesday night. The hold was placed by “local municipal officials,” and there is no current estimate for how long the delays may last, according to an alert issued by Amtrak at 7:13 p.m. on June 11. "All rail traffic departing and arriving in Baltimore (BAL) has been halted due to local municipal officials placing a hold on the tracks while investigating an unauthorized vehicle on the tracks," Amtrak wrote. "We are working to establish a delay time…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
DNA From DC Arrest Links Man To 2024 Montgomery County Murder, Police Say DNA From DC Arrest Links Man To 2024 Montgomery County Murder, Police Say
DNA From DC Arrest Links Man To 2024 Montgomery County Murder, Police Say A man arrested on an oustanding warrant in Washington, DC is now charged with murder in Maryland — after his DNA linked him to a deadly stabbing in Gaithersburg, police said. Bulfrano Martinez-Maldonado, 38, is accused of killing 49-year-old Mynor Rene Lara Salguero, who was found dead with multiple stab wounds in the 8000 block of Blair Mill Road on Dec. 16, 2024, according to the Montgomery County Department of Police. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled Lara Salguero’s death a homicide. Police say Martinez-Maldonado was with the victim shortly before the killing.  He wa…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Mom Charged With Murder In 3-Year-Old’s Death After Making Up Amber Alert: Cops Mom Charged With Murder In 3-Year-Old’s Death After Making Up Amber Alert: Cops
Mom Charged With Murder In 3-Year-Old’s Death After Making Up Amber Alert: Cops The mother of a 3-year-old girl who sparked an Amber Alert out of Delaware is now charged with murder after the child’s body was found dumped in Maryland, state police announced. Darrian Randle, 31, of North East, told police she had pulled over on Gender Road in Newark, Delaware, around 7:15 p.m. Tuesday, June 10, to comfort her daughter, Nola Dinkens, when a white man with a gun kidnapped the girl and took off in a dark SUV. That story was a lie, authorities now say. After an overnight manhunt and multi-agency investigation, Maryland State Police confirmed the toddler’s remains were disc…

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by Zak Failla
News
Morehouse Student Found Dead In Virginia After Crash Near Mall: 'He Was A Bright Young Man' Morehouse Student Found Dead In Virginia After Crash Near Mall: 'He Was A Bright Young Man'
Morehouse Student Found Dead In Virginia After Crash Near Mall: 'He Was A Bright Young Man' A body has been recovered in Tysons near the site of a crash that sparked a multi-day search for Kyle Coleman, a 19-year-old college student from Prince William County who went missing last weekend, police said. The recovery was made by Fairfax County Police Department's Dive Team on Tuesday, June 10, in a small body of water near Westpark Drive and Galleria Drive, authorities confirmed. “Late this afternoon, the FCPD Dive Team recovered a human body from a small body of water near Westpark Dr & Galleria Dr in Tysons,” the department posted on social media. “An FCPD death investigation …

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by Zak Failla
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