A Few Clouds 85°

Zak Failla

Assistant Managing Editor

zfailla@dailyvoice.com

FOLLOW ON

Facebook Twitter Linkedin Instagram

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
‘Not A Threat, A Promise’: Drunken IHOP Brawl Ends With Stafford Woman Attacking Cops: Sheriff ‘Not A Threat, A Promise’: Drunken IHOP Brawl Ends With Stafford Woman Attacking Cops: Sheriff
‘Not A Threat, A Promise’: Drunken IHOP Brawl Ends With Stafford Woman Attacking Cops: Sheriff It wasn’t pancakes getting flipped at a Virginia IHOP. Ahmani Graves, 26, is facing multiple charges after Stafford County deputies say she took umbrage with a passenger in her vehicle who questioned her sobriety, setting off a wild series of events that turned the popular eatery upside down. Shortly after 3:30 a.m. on Sunday, July 20, deputies were called to IHOP on Simpson Road, where staff advised that two women were brawling, and as they arrived, Graves attempted to leave the scene. Graves reportedly showed signs of intoxication and smelled of booze, and she continued to refuse deputie…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
5 Stabbed During Spotsy Car Meet Gone Wrong: 'Senseless Youth Violence,' Sheriff Says 5 Stabbed During Spotsy Car Meet Gone Wrong: 'Senseless Youth Violence,' Sheriff Says
5 Stabbed During Spotsy Car Meet Gone Wrong: 'Senseless Youth Violence,' Sheriff Says A violent brawl broke out during an unorganized car meet in Virginia, leaving five people hospitalized — and one man behind bars. Lenox Shelton was arrested and charged with malicious wounding after a stabbing incident that injured five people early Sunday morning, July 20, the Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office announced. Deputies responded around 2:00 a.m. to the 4800 block of Southpoint Parkway, where they found a chaotic scene with people scattering in all directions as they arrived. Multiple stabbing victims were on the ground, while others had already driven themselves to area hospi…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Traffic
Motorcyclist Killed On I-495 In Virginia; Bike Traveled Nearly A Mile: VSP (DEVELOPING) Motorcyclist Killed On I-495 In Virginia; Bike Traveled Nearly A Mile: VSP (DEVELOPING)
Motorcyclist Killed On I-495 In Virginia; Bike Traveled Nearly A Mile: VSP (Developing) A motorcyclist died after a violent crash along I-495 in Fairfax County on Monday afternoon, Virginia State Police confirmed. The crash happened around 5:30 p.m. on July 21, on the westbound lanes of I-495 near Telegraph Road, VSP spokesperson Matthew Demlein said. “A motorcycle, traveling westbound, collided with a guardrail,” Demlein said on Monday night. “The rider suffered serious injuries and succumbed to those injuries at an area hospital.” After hitting the guardrail, the motorcycle continued down the interstate for nearly a mile, investigators said. Troopers say a possible medical…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Obituaries
Bob Weir, Longtime Gainesville-Area Leader, Dies At 62 After Cancer Fight Bob Weir, Longtime Gainesville-Area Leader, Dies At 62 After Cancer Fight
Bob Weir, Longtime Gainesville-Area Leader, Dies At 62 After Cancer Fight Prince William County is grieving the loss of a respected leader and longtime public servant. Gainesville District Supervisor Bob Weir died Sunday, July 20, following a battle with metastatic colon cancer, his office confirmed.  He was 62 years old. “Bob was someone who fought for the people he represented and stood up for what he believed in,” Board of County Supervisors Chair At-Large Deshundra Jefferson said.  “He was a man of fierce conviction and integrity who didn’t suffer fools gladly.” Weir had served as Gainesville’s representative on the Prince William Board of County …

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Punched In The Face, Woman Outdrives Would-Be Carjacker In Wild Escape In Bethesda, Police Say Punched In The Face, Woman Outdrives Would-Be Carjacker In Wild Escape In Bethesda, Police Say
Punched In The Face, Woman Outdrives Would-Be Carjacker In Wild Escape In Bethesda, 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 …

SHARE

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…

SHARE

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…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Lexington Park Woman Strips, Bites Deputy During Bar Rampage: Sheriff Lexington Park Woman Strips, Bites Deputy During Bar Rampage: Sheriff
Lexington Park 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 …

SHARE

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…

SHARE

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…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Prev Page 4 of 3428 2 3 4 5 6 Next
31 - 40 of 34,276 articles