Clark County Public Administrator Robert “Rob” Telles, a Democrat, was taken into custody at his home by SWAT officers hours after investigators served a search warrant and seized vehicles as part of the criminal investigation into the slaying of the Las Vegas Review- Journal Jeff German. , Sheriff Joe Lombardo told the newspaper.
Telles, 45, who faces a charge of open murder with a deadly weapon, made his first appearance before a Las Vegas judge after his arrest. Prosecutors said his home was barricaded during a standoff with police and he was found with cuts on his hands.
Prosecutors said Germanos was found stabbed seven times outside his home and DNA from Germanos’ hands matched Telles. Injuries to the German’s hands and arms indicate he likely fought for his life, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors added that Telles had been doing business in the neighborhood before the attack.
Telles’ next court appearance is set for September 13.
Acknowledging that the investigation is ongoing and still in its early stages, authorities said at a news conference earlier Thursday that Telles’ DNA was found at the stabbing site.
Authorities said surveillance video shows a suspect wearing an orange jacket, straw hat and sneakers walking near German’s home around the time they believe the stabbing took place on Sept. 2. When Las Vegas police seized evidence from Telles’ residence in an arrest warrant search Wednesday, they found a straw hat and sneakers matching those worn by the suspect in the video, according to Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Chief, Dory Coren. The hat had been cut into pieces, Koren said, and the shoe was partially cut off and appeared to be stained with blood in what police believe was an attempt to destroy evidence.
“This is a terrible and horrifying murder,” Lombardo said during the press conference. “One that has deeply affected Las Vegas. Any murder is tragic, but the killing of a journalist is particularly disturbing.”
Las Vegas police did not elaborate on the suspected motive for the stabbing Thursday, though Coren said the ongoing investigation showed Telles was “very upset” about the published coverage of German and additional reports that the reporter was stalking her. the moment. of his death.
Jeff German, host of Mobbed Up, with Planet Hollywood (formerly Aladdin) on the Strip in Las Vegas in June 2021. KM Cannon/Las Vegas Review-Journal / Tribune News Service via Getty Images
Telles had been at the center of German’s reporting of turmoil, including allegations of administrative intimidation, favoritism and Telles’ relationship with an incumbent in the county office that handles the estates of people who die without a will or family ties.
The paper’s executive editor, Glenn Cook, said in a statement that “the arrest of Robert Telles is both a tremendous relief and an outrage for the Review-Journal newsroom.
“We are relieved that Robert Telles is in custody and outraged that a colleague of his appears to have been killed for reporting on an elected official. Journalists cannot do the important work our communities demand if they fear that reporting facts could lead to violent punishment We thank the Las Vegas Police Department for their prompt and hard work and for immediately recognizing the terrible significance of Jeff’s murder,” Cook said.
Clark County (Nevada) Public Administrator Robert Telles CBS News
Telles did not immediately respond Wednesday to phone messages at his county office, and it was not immediately clear after his arrest whether he had an attorney who could speak on his behalf. The county administrative office was closed.
German joined the Review-Journal in 2010 after more than two decades at the Las Vegas Sun, where he was a columnist and reporter covering the courts, politics, labor, government and organized crime.
He was known for stories about government breaches and political scandals and for his coverage of the 2017 mass shooting at a Las Vegas music festival that killed 60 people and injured more than 400 others.
Telles, an attorney who practiced probate and estate law, won his elected position in 2018, replacing a three-term public administrator. He lost the party primary in June to Assistant Public Administrator Rita Reed. Telles’ term ends on December 31.
In the weeks leading up to the election, Germano highlighted reports of an office “immersed in turmoil and infighting” between longtime staffers and new hires under Telles’ leadership.
Telles blamed the “oldies” for exaggerating the extent of his relationship with a female employee and falsely claiming he abused them.
“All my new employees are very happy and they are all productive and doing well,” he told the newspaper. “We’ve almost doubled productivity in the office.”
Telles later tweeted complaints about German, the Review-Journal reported, including claims in June that German was a bully who was “obsessed” with him.
German, a reporter with a reputation for persistence, has been working on follow-up reports, the newspaper reported Wednesday, and recently filed public requests for emails and text messages between Tells and three other county officials, including Reed and Councilman Michael Murphy.
Murphy, the former Clark County coroner who was hired to address allegations about leadership in the public administrators’ office, did not immediately return a phone message.
Germanos’ body was found Saturday morning outside his home. Police said he was apparently killed on Friday and described the attack as an isolated incident. The Clark County Medical Examiner ruled that German died of “multiple blunt force injuries” and ruled the case a homicide.
After police asked for the public’s help Monday in locating a suspect, developments came quickly.
Police on Tuesday showed a short video of a possible suspect walking down a sidewalk dressed in bright orange “construction gear” and shared a photo of a distinctive red or brown GMC Yukon Denali SUV with chrome handles, a sunroof and a luggage rack, saying it may be connected to the case.
Tells was seen in newspaper photos washing a similar vehicle parked in his driveway on Tuesday, and KTNV-TV reported that the vehicle was towed after police arrived Wednesday.
