DNA of county official found at scene of Las Vegas reporter’s killing, police say

LAS VEGAS — The DNA of a Nevada county administrator was found at the scene where a Las Vegas reporter was fatally stabbed on Saturday, authorities said Thursday.

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The DNA of Clark County Public Administrator Robert Telles was found at the scene of the fatal stabbing of Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Jeff German, police announced on Thursday.

Jeff German, 69, a reporter for the Las Vegas Review-Journal since 2010, was found dead at about 10:30 a.m. PDT after a person called 911 saying a neighbor was dead on the side of the victim’s house, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department spokesperson Capt. Dori Koren told the newspaper.

Police in Las Vegas arrested Clark County Public Administrator Robert Telles, 45, on Wednesday, hours after serving search warrants at his home. On Thursday, police said Telles’ DNA was found at the scene of German’s death.

“This a terrible and jarring homicide -- one that has deeply impacted Las Vegas,” Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo said at a news conference on Thursday. “Every murder is tragic, but the killing of a journalist is particularly troublesome.”

Lombardo said Telles was booked Wednesday night into the Clark County Detention Center on a murder charge.

Telles was arraigned Thursday and a judge ruled that he be held without bail, the Review-Journal reported.

Telles was taken by ambulance to an area hospital on Wednesday, and police said he was suffering from self-inflicted wounds, the Journal-Review reported.

At Thursday’s news conference, Koren said search efforts turned up a straw hat and a pair of shoes that matched what a suspect was seen wearing in surveillance video recovered from German’s neighborhood, the Review-Journal reported.

“As you can see there is apparent blood on the shoes, and the shoes were cut likely in a manner to try to destroy evidence,” Koren told reporters. “One of the most important aspects of this investigation was waiting on the DNA results, and we received positive DNA results that showed Robert Telles’ DNA at the crime scene.”

A murder weapon has not been found, but Lombardo said police have “distorted” video that shows the attack, according to The Associated Press.

German reported on crime, courts and corruption, and spent several months reporting about Telles’ oversight of the public administrator’s office, according to the newspaper. German’s recent news stories focused on complaints about administrative bullying, favoritism and Telles’ alleged relationship with a staff member in the county office, the AP reported.

Telles denied the accusations and said the staff member, who also worked under former Public Administrator John Cahill, was simply one of the people he “could lean on” while he tried to change the office atmosphere, the Review-Journal reported.

Telles lost his bid for reelection in the Democratic primary in June, finishing third with about 32.4% of the vote, KLAS-TV reported. His term ends in January.

Private services were held for German on Wednesday.

“Jeff was a loving and loyal brother, uncle and friend who devoted his life to his work exposing wrongdoing in Las Vegas and beyond,” German’s family said in a statement. “We’re shocked, saddened and angry about his death. Jeff was committed to seeking justice for others and would appreciate the hard work by local police and journalists in pursuing his killer. We look forward to seeing justice done in this case. We also want to thank everyone for the outpouring of love, support and recognition for Jeff and his life’s work.”

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