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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
Carjacker Avoids Minimum Sentence After Taking Police On Pursuit From DC Into Maryland: Feds Carjacker Avoids Minimum Sentence After Taking Police On Pursuit From DC Into Maryland: Feds
Carjacker Avoids Minimum Sentence After Taking Police On Pursuit From DC Into Maryland: Feds The 19-year-old District resident who took members of the Metropolitan Police Department on a wild ride last year in a carjacked vehicle avoided the max penalty, though he will still spend time behind bars, federal authorities announced. Adam West has been sentenced to less than five years in prison after pleading guilty to the incident last December, despite protestations from prosecutors. In December last year, West pleaded guilty, admitting that he carjacked his victim at a Northeast DC gas station after approaching his victim, patting his waistband, suggesting that he was armed. When t…

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by Zak Failla
News
Cop Impersonators Cuffed, Kidnapped Victims During Maryland Robberies: Feds Cop Impersonators Cuffed, Kidnapped Victims During Maryland Robberies: Feds
Cop Impersonators Cuffed, Kidnapped Victims During Maryland Robberies: Feds A police impersonator who carjacked drivers and their employers is expected to get 15 years in prison for a summertime crime spree in Maryland three years ago, federal authorities announced. Davonne Tramont Dorsey, 30, of Gwynn Oak, pleaded guilty to carjacking and to using, carrying and possessing a firearm during a crime of violence while admitting that he and others conspired to kidnap their victims to rob them while using force or threats. According to federal prosecutors, between May and August 2021, Dorsey and others planned to impersonate police officers to stop vehicles, c…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Man Set Apartment Fire During Rent Dispute With Property Manager In Southeast DC: Police Man Set Apartment Fire During Rent Dispute With Property Manager In Southeast DC: Police
Man Set Apartment Fire During Rent Dispute With Property Manager In Southeast DC: Police The man who barricaded himself inside a Southeast DC apartment and set it on fire over a rent dispute with a property manager is facing criminal charges, according to the Metropolitan Police Department. District resident Mitchell Cooper, 63, was arrested and charged with arson and threats to do bodily harm following an incident that played out on Monday afternoon, authorities announced. Shortly before 4 p.m. on March 4, first responders were called to the 900 block of 5th Street SE to investigate reports of a fire inside of an apartment. Update Box Alarm 900 block 5th St SE. Fire 3rd fl…

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by Zak Failla
Lifestyle
Virginia Woman Visiting Maryland Doctor Wins $41K Playing 'FAST PLAY' Lottery Game Virginia Woman Visiting Maryland Doctor Wins $41K Playing 'FAST PLAY' Lottery Game
Virginia Woman Visiting Maryland Doctor Wins $41K Playing 'FAST Play' Lottery Game 2024 is indeed off to a better start for a Virginia woman who won big playing a Maryland Lottery game when she went across state lines to see her doctor. The woman, who chose to remain anonymous and went under the alias "2024 Better" is feeling lucky after reeling in a $41,780 jackpot playing the "FAST PLAY Gold Fish" game.  According to Lottery officials, the winner's doctor is in Maryland, so she frequents the state regularly, and last week, she and her husband stopped at Hardesty's Liquors on Crain Highway in Newburg. The jackpot for the Feb. 28 drawing had remained unclaimed until…

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by Zak Failla
Sports
Nationals Offering DC Residents Tickets Starting At $5, Excluding Fans In Maryland, Virginia Nationals Offering DC Residents Tickets Starting At $5, Excluding Fans In Maryland, Virginia
Nationals Offering DC Residents Tickets Starting At $5, Excluding Fans In Maryland, Virginia "Nattitude" is taking on a new meaning for some baseball fans in the nation's capital.  Some fans are up in arms after the Washington Nationals announced a new plan to lure in District residents with a new promotion, but excluded fans in Maryland and Virginia who will miss out on $5 tickets. Exclusive tickets for DC residents will be available all season long, allowing fans to "enjoy a great game at a great price while hanging out with your neighbors."  Tickets in sections 401 and 402 will be accessible to those living in the District starting at $5 for all home games, including Opening Da…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
DUI Driver Found Asleep At Traffic Light While Horns Blared In Stafford, Sheriff Says DUI Driver Found Asleep At Traffic Light While Horns Blared In Stafford, Sheriff Says
DUI Driver Found Asleep At Traffic Light While Horns Blared In Stafford, Sheriff Says Not even a chorus of blaring horns could stir a 40-year-old Pennsylvania man who was found intoxicated and asleep at the wheel in Virginia, according to the Stafford County Sheriff. Harrisburg resident Kalem Calien is facing charges across state lines after he held up traffic when conking out while driving through Stafford on Sunday morning Shortly before 5:30 a.m. on March 3, deputies from the sheriff's office were called to investigate a suspicious Toyota RAV4 that was sitting steady at a green light for at least eight minutes while other motorists honked and shouted behind him at the int…

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by Zak Failla
News
Virginia Man Studying Law In PA Busted Sharing Child Porn With Undercover Agent In DC: Feds Virginia Man Studying Law In PA Busted Sharing Child Porn With Undercover Agent In DC: Feds
Virginia Man Studying Law In PA Busted Sharing Child Porn With Undercover Agent In DC: Feds A Virginia man is facing federal charges in DC for allegedly distributing child porn while he was a law student in Pennsylvania, authorities say. Andrey Chun Sarmiento, 24, of Hallwood, has been indicted in DC on charges after he was busted by a member of the Metropolitan Police Department-FBI Child Exploitation Task Force who went undercover, according to the DOJ. The indictment states that on Tuesday, Feb. 13, Chun Sarmiento sent various video files depicting men engaging in sexually explicit conduct with minors through an encrypted instant messaging app. On that day, investiga…

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by Zak Failla
News
DC Rapper Who Bragged On Social Media Gets 10 Years For Drug, Weapon Charges DC Rapper Who Bragged On Social Media Gets 10 Years For Drug, Weapon Charges
DC Rapper Who Bragged On Social Media Gets 10 Years For Drug, Weapon Charges A braggadocios DC rapper who advertised drugs and boasted about his weapons on Instagram will spend a decade behind bars, federal authorities announced. Daniel Jahleel Thomas - also known as "DanDue" - was sentenced to 10 years in prison for drug distribution and weapon charges after pleading guilty in April last year. According to court documents, Thomas, who posted rap videos under his "DanDue" alias on YouTube, advertised marijuana and oxycodone for sale on his social media accounts, while posting pictures of himself holding weapons, including fully-automatic machine guns. On Feb. 25, M…

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by Zak Failla
Schools
Social Media Threat Targeting Maryland High School Unfounded, Sheriff Says Social Media Threat Targeting Maryland High School Unfounded, Sheriff Says
Social Media Threat Targeting Maryland High School Unfounded, Sheriff Says Some school officials in Calvert County got a scare on Monday, though a threat targeting Huntingtown High School was ultimately unfounded, according to the sheriff's office. There was an increased police presence at the school on Tuesday, following an investigation launched on March 4 after administrators advised law enforcement of a social media post from an unknown sender that included a threatening message regarding the school.  According to investigators, the message was, in fact, a reposted screenshot from an event that occurred in Virginia two weeks earlier, wherein an arres…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Home Invader Hit With Host Of Charges For Burglary In Maryland, Police Say Home Invader Hit With Host Of Charges For Burglary In Maryland, Police Say
Home Invader Hit With Host Of Charges For Burglary In Maryland, Police Say The investigation into a midday home burglary in Frederick County has led to the arrest of a Silver Spring man who is now facing a litany of criminal charges, authorities announced on Monday. Quentin Bassey, 18, has been arrested by members of the Frederick Police Department following the investigation into an early afternoon burglary inside a home in the 1400 block of Mobley Court. The incident was reported shortly before 1:50 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 28. According to the department, responding officers called to the scene found Bassey in the area, and he was arrested without incident. Fu…

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by Zak Failla
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