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LAS VEGAS (Associated Press) — On Wednesday, police in the Las Vegas region detained an elected public official suspected in the fatal stabbing of a veteran newspaper reporter whose reporting on the official led to his primary loss in June.
Sheriff Joe Lombardo told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that Democratic Clark County Public Administrator Robert “Rob” Telles was arrested by SWAT officers at his home hours after investigators served a search warrant and confiscated vehicles in the criminal investigation into the killing of Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Jeff German.
The county agency that deals with the property of persons who die without a will or family contacts, where Telles, 45, had a relationship with a subordinate colleague, had been the focus of German’s reporting concerning instability.
“the arrest of Robert Telles is at once a huge relief and an outrage for the Review-Journal staff,” the paper’s executive editor, Glenn Cook, said in a statement.
Police serve search warrants in Las Vegas reporter’s slaying https://t.co/rRv9yXpwIi
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) September 7, 2022
Cook expressed relief that Robert Telles was apprehended while expressing fury that a colleague appeared to have been assassinated for reporting on an elected person.
Telles did not immediately return phone calls to his county office on Wednesday, and it was unclear whether or not he had an attorney after his arrest. No one could be reached at the county administrator’s office.
After more than two decades as a columnist and reporter for the Las Vegas Sun, where he covered courts, politics, labor, government, and organized crime, German moved to the Review-Journal in 2010.
Telles, a former probate and estate attorney was elected in 2018, succeeding a public official who had served three terms. He was defeated by Assistant Public Administrator Rita Reid in the June party primary. The end of the year marks the end of Telles’s term.
A German bylined article published in the weeks leading up to the election said that Telles’ office was “mired in instability and internal conflict” between veterans and newcomers.
Telles said that “old-timers” were to fault for making false allegations of mistreatment against him because they lied about the depths of his relationship with a female employee.
“All my new stuff is super-happy and everyone is productive and doing well,” he said to the publication. Office output has nearly doubled as a result of our efforts.
The Review-Journal said that Telles later vented his frustration with German on Twitter, calling him a bully and saying that German was “obsessed” with him in June.
A newspaper reported on Wednesday that a reporter named German, who has a reputation for tenacity, was working on follow-up stories and had recently filed public records requests for emails and text messages between Telles and three other county officials, including Reid and consultant Michael Murphy.
The former Clark County coroner who was brought in to discuss concerns with the public administrators’ office, Patrick Murphy, did not return a call seeking comment.
The body of German was discovered on Saturday morning in front of his house. Police said they believe he was killed on Friday and that this was a unique event. The Clark County coroner determined that German was the victim of homicide due to “several sharp force injuries.”
Rapid events occurred on Monday after police had solicited the public for assistance in identifying a suspect.
On Tuesday, police released a snapshot of a distinguishing red or maroon GMC Yukon Denali SUV with chrome handles, a sunroof, and a luggage rack, and a short video showing a probable suspect walking on a sidewalk while wearing bright orange “construction clothing.”
On Tuesday, Telles was photographed washing a car like the one parked in his driveway; on Wednesday, KTNV-TV reported that police had towed the car away.
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