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Friday, jul 4

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

Disorder In The Court: Woman Hits, Kicks Deputies After Spotsy Courthouse Outburst: Sheriff A South Carolina woman caused chaos inside a Virginia courtroom, striking and kicking deputies after being ordered to leave during a civil trial, according to the Spotsylvania Sheriff’s Office. Synovia Irving was arrested on Wednesday, July 2, after deputies say she became disruptive during a hearing inside the Spotsylvania County Courthouse. She was attending the trial as an observer for a family member when the outburst began, they noted. After repeated warnings to stop her behavior, Irving was ordered to leave the courtroom. At that point, she allegedly struck a deputy in t…

by Zak Failla

07/03/2025

News

PA Man Looking For Underage 'Playmate' For 'Ongoing Adventure' Convicted In Virginia: DOJ A Pennsylvania man is facing life in prison after sending disturbing messages to an undercover officer soliciting a minor in Virginia for sex, authorities announced. Keith Allen Pinkard, 67, of Middletown, faces harsh penalties after pleading guilty this week to attempted coercion and enticement of a minor following a sting operation. According to court documents, in May, Pinkard sent a private message to another user on social media, unaware that the user was, in fact, an undercover FBI special agent. During that exchange, prosecutors say that Pinkard stated he was seeking "a new pl…

by Zak Failla

07/03/2025

Police & Fire

Stafford Man Drove Drunk With Kids, Bud Lights After Community Center Pickup: Sheriff He didn’t just drive drunk with kids in the car in Virginia — he made a scene while doing it, deputies say. A Stafford County man was busted for driving under the influence after allegedly picking up two children from a community center while intoxicated — with a few Bud Lights riding shotgun, officials said. The drama began shortly after 5:45 p.m. on Tuesday, July 1, when deputies were called to the Courthouse Community Center on Stafford Avenue. A concerned witness reported that a man who “smelled of alcohol” had picked up two children, according to the Stafford County Sheriff’s Of…

by Zak Failla

07/03/2025

Police & Fire

Historic Dundalk Church Goes Up In Flames After Lightning Strike During Heat Wave A lightning strike sparked the two-alarm fire that tore through a historic Catholic church in Maryland during a brutal heat wave earlier this week, Baltimore County fire officials confirmed. Crews were called to St. Rita Catholic Church on the 2900 block of Dunleer Road in Dundalk shortly after 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, July 1, after 911 dispatchers received a call reporting flames coming from a second-floor window. Within minutes, firefighters arrived to find smoke and fire showing from the church's second floor and bell tower. The scene of the church fire in Baltimore County. B…

by Zak Failla

07/03/2025

News

Temple Hills Man Used Authority To Sexually Abuse Teen At DC Juvenile Center: Feds A Maryland man who was trusted to supervise minors in DC has been convicted of sexually abusing a 17-year-old who was in his custody, authorities announced. Kelvin Powell, 63, of Temple Hills, was found guilty of abusing the minor who was in the custody of the DC Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services, according to the US Attorney's Office. It took a jury just one day to find him guilty on all charges in DC Superior Court following an eight-day trial. "(Powell) used his position of authority to repeatedly sexually abuse a minor who was in his care and more than four decades young…

by Zak Failla

07/03/2025

Police & Fire

Longtime Harford County Sheriff's Sergeant Dies Unexpectedly, Flags Lowered To Half-Staff A longtime Harford County Sheriff’s Office sergeant has died unexpectedly, leaving behind a grieving law enforcement family and a legacy of service that spanned nearly three decades. Sgt. George Gregory “Greg” Dietz passed away suddenly at his home on Monday, June 30, 2025, according to the Harford County Sheriff’s Office. He was a 27-year veteran of the agency and served in numerous critical roles throughout his career. “During this time of grief, our thoughts and prayers are with Sgt. Dietz's family, friends, and loved ones,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement following his death. …

by Zak Failla

07/02/2025

Police & Fire

UMass Student, 21, Killed In DC Triple Shooting While Interning For US Congressman: Police A rising college senior interning on Capitol Hill was shot and killed in Washington, DC this week, officials confirmed. Eric Tarpinian-Jachym, 21, of Granby, Massachusetts, was fatally shot on Monday night, June 30, in Northwest DC, the Metropolitan Police Department announced. Officers with MPD's Third District responded to the sound of gunshots around 10:30 p.m. in the 1200 block of 7th Street NW. There, they found three victims suffering from gunshot wounds: an unconscious man, a conscious woman, and a conscious 16-year-old boy. All three were transported to area hospitals b…

by Zak Failla

07/02/2025

Police & Fire

Charles County Couple Stole $36K From Nonprofit Helping Blind, Deaf, Veterans: Sheriff A Maryland couple is accused of stealing tens of thousands of dollars from a nonprofit that helps some of the state's most vulnerable residents. Melissa Funkhouser, 40, and her husband, Ronald Funkhouser, 43, both of Ridge, schemed for a year to siphon more than $36,000 from Lions Camp Merrick in Nanjemoy, the Charles County Sheriff’s Office announced Wednesday, July 2. The camp is a nonprofit organization that serves the blind, deaf, diabetic, and veterans with PTSD. Melissa Funkhouser was hired in May 2023 after volunteering with the organization and had sole access to the nonprofit…

by Zak Failla

07/02/2025

News

Man Sexually Abused Ex-Girlfriend's Child For Years In DC, Prosecutors Say A man who sexually abused his former girlfriend's young child is facing life in prison, federal authorities announced. Benjamin Hernandez Torres was convicted on Tuesday following a multi-day trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia of raping the child multiple times over the course of several years. According to the evidence and testimony presented at trial, between 2010 and 2014, Hernandez Torres, who was the victim’s mother’s then boyfriend, raped the victim multiple times when she was between 5 and 8 years old. She disclosed around 10 years later when she saw …

by Zak Failla

07/02/2025

Police & Fire

New Fire Chief In PG County Rushed To Hospital During Press Conference It was a dramatic moment just days into the job. Prince George’s County’s newly appointed fire chief was rushed to the hospital after suffering a medical emergency during a fireworks safety press conference on Wednesday, July 2, the department confirmed. Chief Thelmetria “Meme” Michaelides — who was sworn in Monday — collapsed during the event and was treated on the scene by her own crew before being transported to MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital Center. Officials say the emergency was non-life-threatening, and that she has already fully recovered. “I am so thankful for the immed…

by Zak Failla

07/02/2025

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