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Thursday, aug 21

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

Wawa Turns Into Rodeo As Cowboy Hat-Sporting Suspect Fights Deputies, Stafford Sheriff Says It wasn’t deputies’ first rodeo at a Virginia Wawa, but this one ended with a cowboy hat-wearing suspect squaring off with deputies, assaulting one, and landing in jail. Stafford County deputies said 43-year-old Samuel Thompson IV, who has no fixed address, caused chaos outside the Wawa on South Gateway Drive just after midnight Sunday, Aug. 17. Callers reported a man in a sleeveless shirt and cowboy hat was kicking cars and threatening to punch a woman in the face. When deputies showed up around 12:15 a.m., Thompson bolted toward the nearby Clarion Inn, the sheriff’s office said. But inst…

by Zak Failla

08/19/2025

News

Child Gunned Down At July 4 Bowie Cookout: Shooter Convicted After Arrest In South America The man responsible for the fatal shooting of 6-year-old Ahsan Payton on the Fourth of July last year in Maryland is facing decades in prison after being arrested in South America last year, authorities announced. Rakeem Gilgeours, 34, who opened fire during a neighborhood event on July 4, 2024, has been convicted of assault and other offenses after the child was shot and killed in crossfire, according to the Prince George's County State's Attorney's Office. During a neighborhood celebration over the holiday in Temple Hills, gunshots rang out at around 7:50 p.m. in the 4500 block of Akron S…

by Zak Failla

08/19/2025

News

Maryland Pastor Detained By ICE Reunited With Family After Harrowing Journey (Photos) The longtime Maryland pastor who was detained by ICE and shipped to several detention centers — despite living in the state legally for decades — has been reunited with his family after a heartbreaking months-long journey. Pastor Daniel Fuentes Espinal, of Easton, the head of Iglesia del Nazareno Jesus Te Ama (Church of the Nazarene Jesus Loves You), was picked up while shopping at a local Lowe's last month. Fuentes Espinal — who has been in the country for 24 years, has no criminal record, and leads a congregation of dozens in Easton — was taken into custody by ICE agents, and tr…

by Zak Failla

08/19/2025

Police & Fire

Virginia Private Christian School Teacher Accused Of Sex With Child: Reports An educator at a private Christian school in Virginia is facing charges for allegedly having sex with a child, according to multiple reports. Katelin Campbell, 34, an English teacher at the grades 7–12 CH Friend School in Halifax County, is facing charges that include having consensual intercourse with a child, jail records show. Campbell was arrested once the accusation was made public, and the school then advised the police, who launched an investigation. Her arrest was first reported by WSET, who obtained a statement from the school. "We chose integrity instead of it being swept under …

by Zak Failla

08/19/2025

Police & Fire

Blue Ford Pick-Up Wanted After Fatal E-Bike Hit-Run In Capitol Heights: Police A 45-year-old man riding an e-bike was killed in a Maryland hit-and-run, and police say they are searching for the driver of a pick-up truck driver who fled the scene after hitting him. Prince George’s County Police say 45-year-old Dameian Wilson of Capitol Heights died after being struck in a hit-and-run on Friday night, Aug. 15, possibly by a blue Ford F-150 that now has front-end damage. Officers responded around 8 p.m. to Shell Street and Billings Avenue, where they found Wilson in the roadway suffering from traumatic injuries. He was pronounced dead at the scene by first respond…

by Zak Failla

08/19/2025

Police & Fire

Beloved Dogs Barely Survive Lightning-Sparked Blaze That Gutted Pikesville Home A pair of beloved dogs who were trapped inside a burning home that was gutted by a fire sparked by a lightning strike are fighting for their lives, and a Maryland family is picking up the pieces after losing everything. Crews in Baltimore County were called to the 1800 block of Rambling Ridge Lane in Pikesville for a reported fire that broke out inside an area home following a reported strike report from CoreLogic. The incident occurred shortly after the National Weather Service issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for Baltimore County at 3:33 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 14. The scene of…

by Zak Failla

08/19/2025

News

Explosion Aboard Vessel Shuts Down Baltimore Harbor Channel Near Key Bridge Site: Coast Guard An explosion aboard a massive coal ship in Baltimore Harbor has shut down the Fort McHenry Federal Channel, the same stretch of water where the Key Bridge collapsed earlier this year, officials said. The Coast Guard said the blast happened around 6:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 18, aboard the 751-foot merchant vessel W-Sapphire as it was leaving Baltimore Harbor with 23 crew members and two pilots on board. The W-Sapphire, carrying coal, reported the explosion while it was south of Fort Carroll. A fire broke out but was later extinguished, officials said. No injuries were reported. The cause of the…

by Zak Failla

08/19/2025

Police & Fire

‘A True Product Of His Community’: Man Dies In Alexandria Police Custody, Loved Ones Speak Out The 32-year-old man who died after being taken into police custody in Virginia is being remembered as a "light for so many" — and his family has vowed to seek justice. Shortly after 5 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 15, officers from the Alexandria Police Department were called to the 2800 block of North Beauregard Street, for reports of "unknown trouble," police said. When they arrived, they ultimately found Allan Tucker and took him into custody after de-escalating the situation in the area. He was taken to the Alexandria Adult Detention Center, where he later required medical assistance. Despite l…

by Zak Failla

08/19/2025

News

MS-13 Gang Member Gets Life After Execution-Style Murder, Leaving Man For Dead In Gaithersburg A Maryland MS-13 gang member who gunned down one victim execution-style and left another for dead in a wooded park will spend the rest of his life behind bars. Edgard Castro-Contreras, 21, was found guilty on Friday, April 4, of first-degree murder, conspiracy, and multiple other charges tied to the November 2022 gang-related ambush that left 20-year-old Edvin Agustin Leon dead in Silver Spring, the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office said. The second victim, Alex Castro Sabrian, was shot several times but survived by playing dead. He then crawled through a quarter-mile of Northwest…

by Zak Failla

08/19/2025

Police & Fire

Speeding, Unlicensed Teen Blamed For Fatal Crash At Owings Mills Intersection: Police An underage driver without a license was reportedly speeding when he caused a crash that claimed the life of a 74-year-old woman in Maryland, police say. Officers from the Baltimore County Police Department were called shortly before 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 16 to the area of New Town Boulevard and Middle Mill Drive in Owings Mills, where there was a reported crash involving a Jeep and 2019 Honda Fit with the driver trapped inside. According to investigators, Patricia Cook was extricated from her vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene by first responders. It was later determined the o…

by Zak Failla

08/19/2025

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