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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
Punched In The Face, Maryland Woman Outdrives Would-Be Carjacker In Wild Escape, Police Say Punched In The Face, Maryland Woman Outdrives Would-Be Carjacker In Wild Escape, Police Say
Punched In The Face, Maryland Woman Outdrives Would-Be Carjacker In Wild Escape, Police Say A rideshare driver in Maryland fought off an attempted carjacking in a terrifying way — by flooring it and swerving until the attacker bailed out, police said. A woman working as a rideshare driver in Bethesda was repeatedly punched by a passenger who tried to steal her car, but she managed to escape by speeding off and making sharp turns that forced the attacker out, Montgomery County Police said. The attack happened around 6:24 p.m. Saturday, May 24, on Rockville Pike, according to the department on Monday, when it released photos of the suspects. Investigators said the driver picked up …

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Lorton Bus Driver Battered In Broad Daylight — Teen Tracked Down Weeks Later: Police Lorton Bus Driver Battered In Broad Daylight — Teen Tracked Down Weeks Later: Police
Lorton Bus Driver Battered In Broad Daylight — Teen Tracked Down Weeks Later: Police A Lorton teenager has been arrested for allegedly boarding a bus and violently punching the driver in the face before fleeing the scene, Fairfax County police announced. Javantai Johnson, 18, was taken into custody on Friday, July 19, in Loudoun County following a weeks-long search after the July 8 attack, officials confirmed on Monday. The assault happened around 7:30 a.m. near Gunston Cove Road and Cranford Street in Lorton while the bus was making its regular route, police say.  At that time, investigators said an unknown rider got on the bus, punched the driver without warning, an…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Man Hides In Closet, Tries Busting Out Of Cruiser After Arrest In Spotsylvania, Sheriff Says Man Hides In Closet, Tries Busting Out Of Cruiser After Arrest In Spotsylvania, Sheriff Says
Man Hides In Closet, Tries Busting Out Of Cruiser After Arrest In Spotsylvania, Sheriff Says What started as a simple warrant service in Virginia turned into a full-blown scene—complete with a closet hideout, flying kicks, and attempted destruction of a police vehicle. Deputies with the Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office say 34-year-old Michael Tibbs is facing new charges after they found him hiding in a closet and say he caused chaos after being taken into custody on Monday, July 21. It began when deputies arrived at an area home to serve Tibbs with a capias warrant tied to a prior assault on law enforcement charge.  After the property owner let them inside, deputies event…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Maryland Woman Strips, Bites Deputy During Bar Rampage: Sheriff Maryland Woman Strips, Bites Deputy During Bar Rampage: Sheriff
Maryland Woman Strips, Bites Deputy During Bar Rampage: Sheriff A Maryland woman reportedly had a complete meltdown at a Southern Maryland bar — stripping down, flipping chairs, kicking paramedics, and biting a deputy, officials said. Marika Shontell Driggers, 45, of Lexington Park, was arrested after causing a scene at Coast 2 Coast Seafood Bar & Grill in Solomons earlier this month, according to the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office on Monday, July 21. Deputies were called for indecent exposure at the restaurant on South Solomons Island Road, where they found Driggers in the lobby wearing only a shirt and coat, investigators said. Restaurant staff …

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Toddler Abducted From Fair Oaks Mall Play Area, Suspect Caught With Stolen Car: Police Toddler Abducted From Fair Oaks Mall Play Area, Suspect Caught With Stolen Car: Police
Toddler Abducted From Fair Oaks Mall Play Area, Suspect Caught With Stolen Car: Police A man accused of abducting a toddler from a play area inside a Virginia mall didn’t get far before police tracked him down at a nearby hotel, authorities said. Andres Caceres Jaldin, 26, of no fixed address, is facing serious charges after Fairfax County Police say he picked up a little girl and tried to walk away with her at the Fair Oaks Shopping Center around 11:45 a.m. on Friday, July 18. The child’s parent quickly intervened on the second level of the mall and got the girl back unharmed, according to police. The suspect fled the area before officers arrived. That’s when the hunt began…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Cat Abandoned Behind Stafford Pet Store With Ant-Covered Food, Woman Charged: Sheriff Cat Abandoned Behind Stafford Pet Store With Ant-Covered Food, Woman Charged: Sheriff
Cat Abandoned Behind Stafford Pet Store With Ant-Covered Food, Woman Charged: Sheriff A scared but unharmed tabby cat was rescued after being abandoned in a carrier near a dumpster behind a pet store in Virginia, authorities said. Around 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, July 16, Animal Control officers responded to Pets Plus on Richmond Highway for a report of an abandoned animal, according to the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office. When the officer arrived, store staff told her they had found the carrier near the dumpster, containing only a bag of dry food—covered in ants—and a cat now known as “Arkansas.” “Despite being a bit scared, Animal Control Officer Busch confirmed the cat w…

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by Zak Failla
News
He Drove 200 Miles To Murder Famed DC Photographer — Now He’ll Die In Prison He Drove 200 Miles To Murder Famed DC Photographer — Now He’ll Die In Prison
He Drove 200 Miles To Murder Famed DC Photographer — Now He’ll Die In Prison The Pennsylvania man who drove 200 miles from his home to murder famed DC photographer Joe Shymanski will spend the rest of his life in prison. Brandon Ross Holbrook, 49, of Reedsville, PA, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for killing and dismembering Shymanski in Huntingtown, the Calvert County Sheriff's Office announced. Holbrook was found guilty of murder in June following an eight-day trial in Calvert County Circuit Court. According to prosecutors, Holbrook shot Shymanski on Sept. 3, 2023, in the driveway of his home in Huntingtown. He then took the bod…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
72‑Year‑Old Man Kicks Cops Ending Food Fight In Woodbridge, Police Say 72‑Year‑Old Man Kicks Cops Ending Food Fight In Woodbridge, Police Say
72‑Year‑Old Man Kicks Cops Ending Food Fight In Woodbridge, Police Say What started as a food fight in Northern Virginia turned into a police assault, authorities said. Officers from the Prince William County Police Department were called to a home on the 14400 block of General Washington Drive in Woodbridge shortly before 12:45 a.m. on Sunday, July 20, to investigate a domestic dispute. Investigators say that William Thomas Humphries, 72, threw food at a 69-year-old family member during an altercation in their home, prompting the police response. While he was being detained, Humphries allegedly became unruly and began to actively resist his arrest while kick…

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by Zak Failla
News
Former FBI Agent Used Fake Names, Maryland Studios To Rape Women: State's Attorney Former FBI Agent Used Fake Names, Maryland Studios To Rape Women: State's Attorney
Former FBI Agent Used Fake Names, Maryland Studios To Rape Women: State's Attorney A former FBI agent from Maryland will likely spend the rest of his life in prison after being convicted of luring young women into his Montgomery County tattoo studios and raping them under the guise of modeling opportunities. Eduardo Valdivia, 41, of Gaithersburg, was found guilty on Friday, July 18 of a bevy of sex offenses by a jury in Montgomery County Circuit Court. Valdivia, a former Supervisory Special Agent with the FBI for over a decade, owned DC Fine Line Tattoos, located in the 9800 block of Washingtonian Boulevard in Gaithersburg, officials said.  The shop became the cente…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Scary Home Invasion In DMV: Man With Stun Device, Scissors Arrested: Police Scary Home Invasion In DMV: Man With Stun Device, Scissors Arrested: Police
Scary Home Invasion In DMV: Man With Stun Device, Scissors Arrested: Police A 21-year-old Virginia man is facing a long list of charges after he allegedly broke into a woman’s apartment in Virginia with a stun device, forced her into a room with scissors, then came back a second time — and a third. Lee Otis Taylor, of Woodbridge, was charged with burglary with intent to assault after a violent series of domestic-related incidents between Thursday, July 17, and Sunday, July 20, Prince William County Police said. Deputies responded shortly before 10 p.m. on July 17 to the Broadstone at River Oaks Apartments on Chesapeake Drive in Dumfries. Taylor allegedly forced his…

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by Zak Failla
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