The home of a top Clark County official who was the subject of investigative stories by Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Jeff German was searched by police Wednesday as part of the murder investigation into the journalist’s fatal stabbing.
Las Vegas Metro police served the warrant on the home of Clark County Administrator Robert Telles, who lost a primary election in June after German’s stories exposed allegations of bullying, favoritism and an inappropriate relationship between Telles and a subordinate. Telles had publicly accused German of being a “bully” and running a “smear” campaign against him.
Telles has not been charged with a crime and could not be reached for comment.
The search came a day after police announced they connected a red or maroon 2007 to 2014 GMC Yukon Denali to the fatal stabbing of German, 69, outside his northwest Las Vegas home. German was found Saturday morning, but investigators said they believe the slaying occurred Friday morning and security footage had tied the SUV to a suspect assailant.
An SUV matching that description was towed from Telles’ driveway Wednesday morning as detectives searched the house. Las Vegas police on Tuesday released two images they said were potential leads in the killing of the journalist. One was an image of an unidentified suspect whose appearance was disguised by a wide straw hat, gloves and orange long-sleeve shirt. The man was seen casing the area. The second was of the Denali, which had chrome handles and a sunroof.
Las Vegas Metro police, following the search warrant initiation, acknowledged it was “currently serving search warrants” in connection with German’s killing. The department would not provide specific addresses. It was unclear if Telles is the single target of the Las Vegas Metro police warrants.
In a somewhat confusing series of statements, Las Vegas Metro repeatedly called it an “isolated incident” when pressed about the danger to the public. But they also said, “it appears the suspect was potentially casing the area to commit other crimes before the homicide occurred.”
According to Las Vegas Review-Journal, German was working on a new story about Telles the week he was stabbed to death.
Telles, who remains in office until December, has publicly chastised German, accusing him of writing a “lying smear piece” in one tweet and being a “bully” in another one.
Executive editor Glenn Cook said German hadn’t communicated any concerns over his safety to the paper’s leadership team.
“It’s our hope that they find this person very quickly so that we can get answers to all the questions that we have as his colleagues and friends, as it relates to the work we all do,” he told The Times over the weekend.
German was previously a longtime columnist and reporter for the Las Vegas Sun, where he covered courts, politics, labor, government and organized crime, according to his biography. He joined the Review-Journal in 2010, where his investigative work spanned stories on organized crime, political corruption and government failures.
Cook said German’s “bread and butter” was “breaking big stories,” with many of his investigations leading to significant reforms.
