A Las Vegas-area elected public official was arrested Wednesday and recognized by police because the suspect within the deadly stabbing of a veteran newspaper reporter whose investigations of the official’s work preceded his major loss in June.
Clark County Public Administrator Robert “Rob” Telles, a Democrat, was taken into custody at his house by a police SWAT unit hours after investigators served a search warrant and confiscated autos within the prison probe of the killing of Las Vegas Evaluation-Journal reporter Jeff German.
“The suspect within the murder that occurred on September 2, 2022, has been taken into custody,” Las Vegas Metropolitan Police tweeted shortly earlier than 7 p.m.
Telles, 45, had been a spotlight of German’s reporting about turmoil together with complaints of administrative bullying, favouritism and Telles’ relationship with a subordinate staffer within the county workplace that handles property of people that die with no will or household contacts.
Telles didn’t instantly reply Wednesday to phone messages at his county workplace, and it was not instantly clear following his arrest if he had an lawyer who may converse on his behalf. The county administrator workplace was closed.
German joined the Evaluation-Journal in 2010 after greater than 20 years on the Las Vegas Solar, the place he was a columnist and reporter who lined courts, politics, labour, authorities and arranged crime.
Misplaced celebration major
Telles, a lawyer who practiced probate and property regulation, gained his elected place in 2018, changing a three-term public administrator. He misplaced his June celebration major to Assistant Public Administrator Rita Reid. Telles’ time period expires Dec. 31.
Within the weeks earlier than the election, German bylined reviews about an workplace “mired in turmoil and inner dissension” between longtime workers and new hires beneath Telles’ management.
Telles blamed “old-timers” for exaggerating the extent of his relationship with a feminine staffer and falsely claiming that he mistreated them.
Wanting ahead to mendacity smear piece #4 by <a href=”https://twitter.com/JGermanRJ?ref_src=twsrcpercent5Etfw”>@JGermanRJ</a>. <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/onetrickpony?src=hash&ref_src=twsrcpercent5Etfw”>#onetrickpony</a> I believe he is mad that I have not crawled right into a gap and died. 😂 <a href=”https://twitter.com/LVRJ?ref_src=twsrcpercent5Etfw”>@LVRJ</a> <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/LasVegas?src=hash&ref_src=twsrcpercent5Etfw”>#LasVegas</a>
—@RobTellesLV
“All my new workers are super-happy and everybody’s productive and doing effectively,” he instructed the newspaper. “We have virtually doubled the productiveness within the workplace.”
Telles later posted Twitter complaints about German, the Evaluation-Journal reported, together with claims in June that German was a bully who was “obsessed” with him.
German, a reporter with a fame for tenacity, was engaged on follow-up reviews, the newspaper mentioned Wednesday, and just lately filed public information requests for emails and textual content messages between Telles and three different county officers together with Reid and guide Michael Murphy.
Murphy, the previous Clark County coroner employed to deal with complaints about management within the public directors’ workplace, didn’t instantly reply to a phone message.
German’s physique was discovered Saturday morning outdoors his house. Police mentioned he apparently was killed Friday and characterised the assault as an remoted incident. The Clark County coroner dominated that German died of “a number of sharp power accidents” and dominated the case a murder.
After police requested Monday for public assist to determine a suspect, developments got here rapidly.
Police on Tuesday confirmed a short video of a potential suspect strolling on a sidewalk clad in brilliant orange “building apparel” and distributed a photograph of a particular crimson or maroon GMC Yukon Denali SUV with chrome handles, a sunroof and a baggage rack, saying it might have been linked to the case.
Telles was seen in newspaper images washing the same automobile parked in his driveway on Tuesday, and KTNV-TV reported the automobile was towed away after police arrived on Wednesday.
German died of “a number of sharp power accidents,” the Clark County coroner mentioned, and the case was dominated a murder.