Police raided the Las Vegas home of Clark County public administrator Robert Telles on Wednesday as part of an investigation into the killing of a local journalist who had been critical of Telles.
Law enforcement executed the search warrant at Telles’s residence to look for evidence connecting the official with the murder of Jeff German of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, who had used his platform to slam Telles for his conduct in office.
German was stabbed to death last Friday night outside his home. He had alleged that Telles’ tenure in office was plagued by “emotional stress, bullying and favoritism.”
The Democratic official was defeated in June’s primary election.
Police have shared that German was likely involved in a physical altercation before dying. Surveillance footage released Monday showed a potential suspect wearing a wide straw hat, a bright orange reflective long-sleeve shirt, blue jeans, and gray shoes. He was carrying a black or dark blue shoulder bag, CBS News reported. The video did not show the person’s face, however.
German died of “multiple sharp force injuries,” according to the Clark County Office of the Coroner/Medical Examiner.
“We do believe the person was in the area earlier casing for other crimes,” a police spokesperson said, per the New York Post.
On Tuesday, authorities released a photo of a red SUV they say was tied to the stabbing of German. Hours later, Review-Journal reporters claimed they saw Telles in the driveway of his home with a vehicle matching the description. A search warrant was granted shortly afterwards.
Telles repeatedly took to Twitter over the last few months to fire back at German, claiming that his only press beat was his political career. The administrator wrote on June 18th, “Looking forward to lying smear piece #4 by @JGermanRJ. #onetrickpony I think he’s mad that I haven’t crawled into a hole and died.”
He tweeted later that day: “Wife hears rustling in the trash* Her: ‘Honey, is there a wild animal in the trash?’ Me: ‘No, dear. Look like it’s @JGermanRJ going through our trash for his 4th story on me.’ Oh, Jeff…”
In a statement found by KTNV, Telles accused German of trying to prevent him from getting reelected and favoring his opponent: “Jeff German…may not be done trying to drag me through the mud. To ensure that Democrats rally around Rita, they would have to turn most Democratic voters against me even now when I should be irrelevant. Don’t be surprised if the articles keep coming.”