A local official has been arrested in connection with the death of a Las Vegas journalist, report says
CNN, KSNV
By Amir Vera, Nick Watt and Chuck Johnston, CNN
An arrest has been made in the stabbing death of Las Vegas Review-Journal investigative reporter Jeff German, police say. And his newspaper said the suspect is a public official who has been the subject of German’s investigative reporting.
Clark County Public Administrator Robert Telles was arrested Wednesday in connection with German’s death, Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo told the Review-Journal.
Telles has not been publicly identified by police as being connected to German’s death, but the Las Vegas Metro Police Department said in a post on social media that the “suspect in the homicide that occurred on September 2, 2022, has been taken into custody.”
Online Clark County Jail records show Telles is being held on a murder count and has a court appearance scheduled for Thursday afternoon. CNN has reached out to LVMPD for additional comment.
German was found dead outside of his Las Vegas home Saturday, according to police. The Review-Journal said German was found with “stab wounds.” The Clark County Office of the Medical Examiner confirmed to CNN that the cause of German’s death was multiple sharp force injuries, and the manner of his death was homicide.
Las Vegas police confirmed Wednesday that officers served search warrants in relation to German’s death, but did not immediately provide any additional information. A search warrant may be issued when a judge finds probable cause that police will find evidence of a crime.
German had been working on a story about Telles the week he was killed, according to the Review-Journal. Telles was the subject of articles that detailed his oversight of his office, and German reported that Telles created a hostile work environment and carried on an inappropriate relationship with a staffer.
Telles lost his reelection bid in June.
Uniformed officers and police vehicles were seen on Wednesday morning outside of Telles’ home, according to local media. Investigators haven’t said if the activity was connected to the investigation into German’s death.
Police would not provide CNN information on what activity transpired at the address linked to Telles. CNN has reached out to Telles and his office for comment.
Las Vegas police released photos Tuesday of a possible suspect and vehicle — what appears to be a maroon GMC SUV — connected to German’s death.
“Review-Journal reporters observed Telles in the driveway of his home, standing next to a vehicle matching that description,” the newspaper reported. “The GMC vehicle and a second vehicle were towed from Telles’ property at about 12:50 p.m. on Wednesday.”
The Review-Journal released a statement over the weekend on German’s death.
“The Review-Journal family is devastated to lose Jeff,” said Executive Editor Glenn Cook, according to the paper. “He was the gold standard of the news business. It’s hard to imagine what Las Vegas would be like today without his many years of shining a bright light on dark places.”
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CNN’s Michelle Watson, Paradise Afshar and Hannah Sarisohn contributed to this report.
