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Thursday, may 15

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

Body Found In Long Island River Amid Search For Missing Swimmer: Police A two-day search for a missing swimmer on Long Island ended in tragedy when his body was found in the Nissequogue River, police said on Wednesday. Marine Bureau officers with the Suffolk County Police Department responded to a 911 call around 7:50 p.m. on Monday, May 12, reporting a man in distress in the river near Old Dock Road in Kings Park. Rescue teams searched the area for two days. The search ended around 6:40 p.m. on May 14, when officers recovered the body of a man from the river, authorities say. The man was pronounced dead at the scene by the Suffolk County Medical Examiner’s O…

by Zak Failla

05/14/2025

Police & Fire

80-Year-Old Man Grabbed Victim, 'Inappropriately Touched' Her In Fairfax County: Police An 80-year-old man is behind bars after police in Virginia say he grabbed and inappropriately touched someone walking near Hutchison in Herndon earlier this week. Ramon Herrera, of Herndon, was arrested on Monday, May 12, after his alleged victim reported being assaulted while walking near the 13300 block of Hungerford Place around 8:40 a.m., according to Fairfax County Police. Police say Herrera approached the victim, grabbed her, and "inappropriately touched her" before she was able to escape. He then fled from the area. Detectives with the Major Crimes Bureau, assisted by patrol …

by Zak Failla

05/14/2025

Police & Fire

Homeowners Killed In Harford County House Fire Identified By Investigators (Updated) New details have been released following a double fatal fire that claimed the lives of two people. Deputy state fire marshals are investigating a double-fatal fire in Joppa, after two people were found dead inside a burning home, officials announced on May 14. Update on the Gunpowder Drive house fire:Volunteer Firefighters have rescued 2 civilians from the burning home, they are being treated by 2!HarfordCoDES EMS units. @MarylandOSFM is responding. — Harford Co., MD Fire & EMS (@HarforCoFireEMS) May 14, 2025 Crews from the Joppa Magnolia Volunteer Fire Company and surrounding depa…

by Zak Failla

05/14/2025

Police & Fire

Virginia Man Used Phone To Prey On Underage Girl He Met In Gainesville, Police Say A 42-year-old man is facing a host of charges after allegedly preying on a young girl he met in Virginia, police say. Kieron Selwyn Greene, of Culpepper, was arrested over the weekend following a lengthy investigation into the possession of child porn that was reported last year, according to the Prince William County Police Department. Investigators say that on Sunday, May 11, detectives concluded their investigation into a child porn report that came in June 2024. The investigation found that Greene allegedly met with a girl under the age of 15 while in Gainesville, and the pair began to…

by Zak Failla

05/14/2025

News

'Brazen' Metrobus Shooter Who Killed Maryland Teen In Front Of Packed Bus Faces Life In Prison A man who opened fire on a crowded Metrobus in Maryland—killing one teen and shooting at another—is now facing life in prison, officials announced. Trevon Hatcherson-Ross, 23, who has no known address, was convicted Wednesday, May 14, on first-degree murder and attempted murder charges for a February 2023 bus shooting in Silver Spring, the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office said. Hatcherson-Ross faces two potential life sentences plus another 45 years when he returns to court for sentencing in August, prosecutors said. The deadly shooting happened on Feb. 17, 2023, on a Metro Tran…

by Zak Failla

05/14/2025

Police & Fire

Kitten Dies, 22 Cats Rescued From Manassas Home In Shocking Cruelty Case, Police Say The conditions were filthy, the cats were sick, and the meds didn’t even match the prescriptions. A Virginia woman is accused of keeping nearly two dozen cats in squalor while mixing and matching expired pet medications — landing her in handcuffs on felony animal cruelty charges, police said. Svetlana Mironva Caulfield, 51, of Manassas, was arrested on Friday, May 10, following an investigation into a disturbing case at her Manassas home on Howard Street, Prince William County Police announced. Animal control officers first got involved back in February after a 2-month-old Scottish Fold ki…

by Zak Failla

05/14/2025

Schools

Florida Man Left Loaded Gun In Car—9-Year-Old Took It To Charles County School, Sheriff Says A Florida man who left his loaded gun in a car before a 9-year-old brought it to school — where it later discharged inside a Maryland classroom — is now facing charges, police announced. Phillip McRay Bright, 68, of Crestview, Florida, has been charged in connection with the April 10 firearm incident at Billingsley Elementary School in Waldorf, according to the Charles County Sheriff’s Office. Investigators say the 9-year-old student accidentally fired the gun inside a classroom after stashing it in his backpack days earlier. No one was injured, but the incident sparked a lockdown an…

by Zak Failla

05/14/2025

Traffic

Amtrak Train Slams Into Pickup Truck In Bristow—Driver Charged With Reckless Driving: Police The driver who caused a violent train strike in Virginia is now facing charges following an investigation into the crash, police say. Bealeton resident John Edward Bates, 54, was charged with reckless driving following a serious crash that caused chaos for some in Bristow last month. The strike was reported shortly before 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, April 15, at a private crossing near Milford Road and Bristow Road in Bristow, according to the Prince William County Police Department. Investigators say Bates was driving a 2019 Ford F-350 with a trailer westbound on Milford Road when he crossed the t…

by Zak Failla

05/14/2025

News

Massive Search Underway For Missing Kayaker On Monocacy River In Frederick, Officials Say Rescue crews are flooding the Monocacy River in Maryland after a kayaker went missing on Wednesday, May 15. Emergency responders are actively searching for a missing male kayaker in the area of Devilbiss Bridge Road, according to Frederick County Fire & Rescue. Crews from Frederick County, the Department of Natural Resources, Loudoun County Fire and Rescue, and the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office are all assisting in the search effort. Teams are staging on bridge overpasses along Biggs Ford, Devilbiss Bridge, and Links Bridge along the Monocacy River, officials said. The sear…

by Zak Failla

05/14/2025

Schools

Former Catholic School Teacher Connected To Child Porn, Solicitation In Chantilly, Sheriff Says A Virginia Catholic school teacher is behind bars after being arrested on multiple child porn and solicitation charges, authorities announced. Nicolas Martin Zimmerman, 35, of Chantilly, was arrested on April 7 and is facing multiple felony charges, according to the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO). Zimmerman, a former teacher at St. Veronica’s Catholic School in Chantilly, taught at the school from August 2015 through February 2025, officials said on Wednesday, May 14. He was arrested in April. Zimmerman is now charged with two counts of felony electronic solicitation, nine counts …

by Zak Failla

05/14/2025

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