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Monday, jun 9

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

Contraband, Inmate Misconduct: Ex-Charles County Jail Guard Admits To Charges, Sheriff Says A Charles County corrections officer who was indicted for inappropriate contact with a female inmate has pleaded guilty and is no longer employed at the jail, authorities announced. Kolbey Cooper, 22, pleaded guilty on Thursday, June 5, to misconduct in office and introducing contraband into a correctional facility, the Charles County Sheriff’s Office said. The charges stem from a March 28, 2025 indictment handed down by a Charles County Grand Jury. Cooper, who had worked at the Charles County Detention Center (CCDC) for two years, was indicted on: Two counts of sexual contact with an inc…

by Zak Failla

06/05/2025

Police & Fire

Maryland Teen Suspected Of DUI In Crash That Killed 88-Year-Old Woman: Police An 88-year-old woman died after an unlicensed Maryland teen suspected of driving drunk slammed into the back of her car at a red light, authorities said. A teenager allegedly drove drunk without a license is under investigation following a crash in Gaithersburg that killed an elderly Rockville woman, according to Montgomery County Police. Officers responded at around 8:35 a.m. Saturday, May 31, to the intersection of Sam Eig Highway and Fields Road, where a blue 2018 Jeep Compass had slammed into the rear of a blue 2017 Toyota Corolla that was stopped at a red light, police said Thursday, J…

by Zak Failla

06/05/2025

News

Missing DC Wife, Mom Vanishes On Way To Work: ‘Every Hour Without Her Is Agonizing’ She left for work and never came home. Now, her family is living every loved one’s worst nightmare. Ana Cecilia “CeCí” Escobar-Arevalo, a 40-year-old wife and mother of two from Northeast DC, hasn’t been seen since the morning of Friday, May 30, when she left home around 7:20 a.m. to head to work—and vanished. Her phone last pinged near Newburg, Maryland. Her car, a blue 2008 Honda CR-V with DC tags (EB2261), hasn’t been found. Her loved ones say she never showed up for her shift—and never returned home. “Ana’s disappearance has shattered our world,” relatives said through a GoFundMe campa…

by Zak Failla

06/05/2025

News

Woman Fatally Struck By School Bus In Baltimore County ID’d: Police A 55-year-old woman was killed after falling into traffic and being struck by a school bus in Baltimore County, authorities confirmed. Lisa Hennessey died at the scene after she fell into the roadway and was hit by a 2015 International Bus near Philadelphia Road and Ridge Road in Rossville around 1:55 p.m. on Wednesday, June 4, Baltimore County Police said. Investigators say that Hennessey was treated at the scene of the crash by first responders, who ultimately pronounced her dead at the scene. The bus was reportedly en route to pick up students on Wednesday afternoon. No other injur…

by Zak Failla

06/05/2025

Police & Fire

Teen Instagram Predator Preyed On Child He Met Online In Manassas, Police Say A 19-year-old Virginia man is being held without bond after allegedly sexually assaulting a young girl he met on Instagram, authorities in Prince William County announced. Widman Eduardo Vicente Lopez, of Manassas, was arrested on Wednesday, June 4 following an investigation into a reported rape that happened between April 27 and April 30 on Nadia Street in Manassas. Detectives say the victim, who is under the age of 13, had been communicating with Vicente Lopez on social media when he began soliciting sexual acts from the child. Police say that Vicente Lopez later met with the g…

by Zak Failla

06/05/2025

Police & Fire

Dumfries Man, 64, Exposed Himself To Girl, 12, On Neighborhood Walk: Police A 64-year-old Virginia man is facing charges after police say he exposed himself to a young girl walking down a neighborhood street. Ronnie Earl Spencer, of Dumfries, was arrested Wednesday, June 4, following an incident that occurred around 8:30 a.m. two days earlier, Prince William County Police said. Investigators said a 12-year-old girl was walking near the 17900 block of Milroy Drive on Monday, June 2, when she saw Spencer exposing himself. The girl quickly left the area and alerted a family member, who contacted police. No physical contact occurred, authorities noted. Spencer, whose…

by Zak Failla

06/05/2025

News

'Father Figure' Who Groomed Young Girl In Charles County Learns Prison Fate A Maryland man who groomed a young girl for years before sexually assaulting her is heading to prison, authorities announced. Thoraz Xavier Smallwood, 39, of Waldorf, has been sentenced to 15 years for sexually abusing a minor who he "became like a father figure to," according to the Charles County State's Attorney on Thursday, June 5. In June 2023, prosecutors say that a detective from the sheriff's office spoke with the young girl about the abuse, when she reported that she had been sexually assaulted multiple times by Smallwood. The investigation Smallwood was introduced to the vic…

by Zak Failla

06/05/2025

Police & Fire

Pedestrian Killed Crossing Highway In Gainesville Hit-Run Crash, Driver At Large: Police A pedestrian was struck and killed in a hit-and-run crash early Thursday morning in Gainesville, and the driver never stopped, police said. Officers responded to the intersection of Lee Highway and Virginia Oaks Drive shortly before 2 a.m. on June 5, according to Master Police Officer Renee Carr with the Prince William County Police Department. Investigators said the victim was attempting to cross Lee Highway when they were hit by a northbound vehicle. The driver fled the scene without stopping. The pedestrian was pronounced dead at the scene. Their identity is being withheld pending notif…

by Zak Failla

06/05/2025

Sports

ESPN 'SportsCenter' Star Jay Harris Reveals Prostate Cancer Diagnosis On 'GMA' Longtime ESPN "SportsCenter" anchor Jay Harris made a somber reveal Thursday on "Good Morning America." The Norfolk, Virginia, native announced that he has prostate cancer and will be undergoing surgery next week, temporarily stepping away from ESPN. “I’m having surgery on Tuesday. I'll be away from 'SportsCenter 'for about a month to recover," Harris said while making the announcement on Good Morning America with Michael Strahan. "Then I'm coming back better than ever.” @gma JUST IN: ESPN SportsCenter anchor Jay Harris reveals prostate cancer diagnosis: “I’m having surger…

by Zak Failla

06/05/2025

Police & Fire

Baltimore Man Killed In Weekend Stabbing, Woman Arrested: 'He Had So Much Life Ahead' A Baltimore family is reeling after a man was fatally stabbed over the weekend. An arrest has been made, but the heartbreak is just beginning. According to police, 26-year-old Demetri Briscoe Jr. was attacked during a physical altercation in the city’s Northeast District early Sunday, June 1, before being driven to a nearby hospital, where he later died. According to the Baltimore Police Department, officers were called to the 3000 block of Westfield Avenue shortly after 2 a.m. on Saturday, June 1, for a report of an armed person. Officers arrived to find evidence of a crime scene, b…

by Zak Failla

06/05/2025

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