LAS VEGAS — Five days after the violent slaying of investigative reporter Jeff German, police arrested an elected public official who had been the subject of a series of high-profile stories by the slain journalist that uncovered claims of bullying and retaliation.
Clark County Public Administrator Robert Telles was taken into custody by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department at his home in western Las Vegas around 6:30 p.m., just hours after investigators concluded a search of his property.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal, where German, 69, had worked for decades, was the first to report the news of the arrest. Telles, 45, had been a focus of German’s reporting about turmoil including complaints of administrative bullying, favoritism and Telles’ relationship with a subordinate staffer in the county office that handles property of people who die without a will or family contacts.
Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo told the newspaper that Telles was arrested on suspicion of murder. Lombardo was expected to release further details at a news conference Thursday morning.
Officers earlier in the day descended on Telles’ two-story home around 7 a.m., searching the nearly 3,000-square-foot property in western Las Vegas for more than six hours before a red GMC Yukon Denali was towed away.
The GMC, which had been parked in Telles’ driveway, matched the description of a vehicle police say could be linked to German’s killing: A 2007 to 2014 red or maroon Denali with chrome handles, a sunroof and roof racks.
Telles, a lawyer who practiced probate and estate law, won his elected position in 2018, replacing a three-term public administrator. He lost his June party primary to Assistant Public Administrator Rita Reid. Telles’ term expires Dec. 31.
In the weeks before the election, German’s bylined reports about an office “mired in turmoil and internal dissension” between longtime employees and new hires under Telles’ leadership.
Telles blamed “old-timers” for exaggerating the extent of his relationship with a female staffer and falsely claiming that he mistreated them.
“All my new employees are super-happy and everyone’s productive and doing well,” he told the newspaper. “We’ve almost doubled the productivity in the office.”
Telles later posted Twitter 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 tenacity, was working on follow-up reports, the newspaper said Wednesday, and recently filed public records requests for emails and text messages between Telles and three other county officials including Reid and consultant Michael Murphy.
Wednesday’s police search unfolded less than 24 hours after the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department released the vehicle description, along with a surveillance photo, at a news conference where police Capt. Dori Koren reassured the public that investigators were working “non-stop” to solve the case.
Not long after police wrapped up their search, Telles was dropped off in a white sedan, wearing a white jumpsuit as he ignored reporters camped out on his street.
Police returned two hours later, but Telles did not answer the door after an officer knocked several times, identifying himself as “Metro police!”
Within minutes, a swarm of additional police officers in marked and unmarked vehicles arrived and taped off the area for the second time. The scene remained relatively stagnant for about an hour until, around 5:45 p.m., when police closed off the entire neighborhood.
As reporters and residents exited the neighborhood, armored SWAT vehicles and ambulances arrived.
Telles, who was up for reelection this year, lost his Democratic primary in June. His term ends in January.
German, 69, was found dead Sept. 3 with stab wounds outside his home, about five miles from Telles’ home, according to police. Authorities believe he was killed a day earlier during an altercation in the “late morning hours.”
After the Review-Journal published the stories about the Clark County public administrator’s office, Telles publicly lashed out at German in a series of posts on Twitter.
Asked at the Tuesday news conference whether German’s death could have been motivated by his high-profile stories, Koren said detectives were “not excluding anything at this time.”
German was known for his stories uncovering government malfeasance and political scandals. His reporting career spanned four decades, including stints at the Las Vegas Sun before joining the Review-Journal.
Rio Lacanlale is the Las Vegas correspondent for the Reno Gazette Journal and the USA TODAY Network. Contact her at rlacanlale@gannett.com or on Twitter @riolacanlale.
Contributing: Associated Press