Around 7 a.m., reporters spotted uniformed officers and police vehicles outside the home of Clark County Public Administrator Robert Telles, who had been the focus of German’s recent reporting. Authorities had also taped a section around Telles’ home. Shortly before 9 a.m., police said they were serving search warrants in the 7200 block of Bronze Circle, where the killing occurred. “No further information will be released at this time,” police said in a statement. German spent months reporting on the turmoil surrounding Robert Telles’ oversight of the office. The 45-year-old Democrat lost his bid for re-election in the June primary after German’s findings were released. German, 69, was found dead outside his northwest Las Vegas home on Sept. 3, the Metropolitan Police Department said. Officials believe he was fatally stabbed during a fight the day before. By Wednesday morning, police had taped off an area near Telles’ west valley home. Two follow-up plans for the investigation were released. RELATED: Embattled county official loses re-election bid, posts angry letter The first shows an unidentified suspect wearing a wide-brimmed straw hat, gloves and a bright orange long-sleeved shirt. The other captures a vehicle that police say was tied to the suspect: a red or maroon 2007 to 2014 GMC Yukon Denali with chrome handles and a sunroof. Hours after the image of the vehicle was released Tuesday, Review-Journal reporters spotted Telles in the driveway of his home in a vehicle matching that description. They also spotted the vehicle at his home on Wednesday morning. German’s death came months after he reported that current and former employees alleged that Telles fostered a hostile work environment and that he was carrying on an “inappropriate relationship” with a subordinate, Roberta Lee-Kennett. The complaints led co-workers to secretly videotape the two in the back seat of Lee-Kennett’s car in a parking garage. The story also included allegations of intimidation and favoritism by Telles. Telles denied the allegations and said Lee-Kennett, who also worked under former public administrator John Cahill, was just one of the people he “could lean on” while he tried to change the atmosphere in the office. He placed third in his party’s primary for re-election to the county office, which oversees the estates of those who have died. That same month he lashed out at the German in a series of public posts on Twitter, accusing the reporter of preparing “fake piece #4”. Outbreaks follow the investigation The Review-Journal’s first investigative story about Telles was published in mid-May. The story detailed a 19-page confidential retaliation complaint filed with the Clark County Office of Diversity by property coordinator Aleisha Goodwin, detailing Telles’ relationship with Lee-Kennett, the videotaping and alleged micromanagement of full-time employees. “The county has failed to protect employees from a mentally and emotionally abusive situation that has now continued for more than two years, and the mental and physical health effects have been felt by most of the full-time employees in this department of just eight -time employees,” Goodwin wrote. On May 26, German reported that top Clark County officials hired a former medical examiner, Michael Murphy, to address friction in Telles’ office after multiple allegations of intimidation and favoritism. German’s story from June 18 revealed that Telles had posted a scathing letter on his campaign website. The letter attacked the Review-Journal and its reporting and claimed the allegations against him were false. He also leveled what some employees said was a threat of retaliation against them for stepping forward. They said in German that they still fear for their jobs and had reported their concerns about the letter to county human resources. Because of the resulting animosity, Telles’ top supervisor, Rita Reid, decided to run against him in this year’s Democratic primary. Typical bully. I can’t take a pound of criticism after 100 pounds of BS. On to article #4 now. You’d think he’d have better things to do. :sticks out tongue wink wink: — Rob Telles (@RobTellesLV) June 25, 2022 Cahill, who preceded Telles in office from 2007 to 2019, told the German that the letter was another attempt to intimidate workers. Telles aired his grievances with the German via Twitter on multiple occasions, claiming on June 16 that the reporter was “obsessed” with him. Later in the month, she called him a bully. “I think he’s crazy I didn’t crawl into a hole and die,” another tweeted. After his primary loss, Telles announced that he would return to practice law. The German’s latest story in Telles, published on June 22, announced that he had conceded in the original race. Executive editor Glenn Cook said German never shared any concerns about his personal safety or threats against him with anyone in Review-Journal leadership. “The Review-Journal family is devastated to lose Jeff,” Cook said. “It was the gold standard of news. It’s hard to imagine what Las Vegas would be like today without his many years of shining a bright light in dark places.” The accomplished journalist recalled Germanos’ journalistic career spanned 40 years in Las Vegas. His reporting exposed corruption and crime perpetrated by politicians, police officers, lawyers, judges, casino industry leaders and mob figures. He built a reliable reputation with sources, refusing to reveal those who asked not to be identified. He joined the Review-Journal in 2010 after more than two decades at the Las Vegas Sun. Germanos’ research work led to reforms and policy changes. Former Clark County District Attorney David Rogers remembered him earlier this week as a tenacious reporter who “just wouldn’t quit.” In recent years, his report revealed failures in city inspections before the deadly fire at the Alpine Motel Apartments in 2019 and extremist activity in Southern Nevada. He broke the news that City Councilwoman Michele Fiore’s campaign finances were being audited by the FBI and reported that city officials had deleted surveillance video of an altercation with her colleague Victoria Seaman, despite the Review-Journal’s request for copies based on of the Nevada Public Records Act. German was the writer and host of Season 2 of “Mobbed Up: the Fight for Vegas,” the Review-Journal’s acclaimed true crime podcast. His book, “Murder in Sin City: The Death of a Las Vegas Casino Boss,” chronicles the 1998 death of casino executive Ted Binion. Parts of this story were taken from previous reporting by the German. Contact Briana Erickson at [email protected] or 702-387-5244. Follow @ByBrianaE on Twitter. Contact Glenn Puit at [email protected] Follow @GlennatRJ on Twitter. Staff writer Sabrina Schnur contributed to this story.
