LAS VEGAS (KTNV — Public Administrator Rob Telles was the subject of a multi-part investigation by Jeff German. And Telles didn't react well, taking to social media to rebut German's reporting and to criticize him and the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
German was found stabbed to death outside his northwest Las Vegas home on Saturday. On Wednesday, Telles was arrested on suspicion of murder.
WHAT WE KNOW: Clark County elected official arrested after search related to local journalist's stabbing death
13 Investigates looks at how things unfolded between the two over the past few months.
As authorities searched Telles' home on Wednesday, the county building that houses his and the Public Guardian's office was temporarily shut down. 13 Investigates learned Telles was at work for just two hours on Tuesday and was a no-show the day his home was searched.
Rewind to Monday, when neighbors say they saw some strange activity at Telles' home.
"We did. We moved here seven years ago, and he was here before us. So it did seem a little bit suspicious," says Dave Zanella, who lives two houses away.
"Well, my daughter brought it to my attention and said that he's putting up a camera," Zanella said. "And we just spoke about it briefly saying that, well, you know, he's been there a long time. I don't know why he'd be putting up cameras right now."
Back in May, Jeff German published his first article on the Clark County Public Administrator's office, writing that it, "...has been mired in turmoil and internal dissension over the past two years, with allegations of emotional stress, bullying and favoritism leading to secret videotaping of the boss and a co-worker outside the office."
German reported allegations of a "hostile work environment fueled by the elected administrator of the office, Robert Telles, carrying on an 'inappropriate relationship' with a staffer that has harmed the office's ability to deal with the public in overseeing the estates of those who have died."
"Because of the brewing animosity, the top supervisor under Telles, Rita Reid, decided to run against him in this year's Democratic primary," German wrote.
As the election date neared, Telles posted this campaign video on YouTube that he titled, "The Tragic Scene I Found."
"A few years ago, when I started my first term, I found a disturbing situation at the office," Telles says in the video. "Unfortunately, I found that there were cases that weren't being closed and hadn't been closed for years. I also found that checks to families were waiting to go out so long that the checks went stale before the families could get them. Tragically, there were even situations where the family members died before they could receive their own checks. But I'm very happy to say that we've turned that all around under my leadership."
That video came out in the wake of a county decision, as German reported, to hire former Clark County Coroner Mike Murphy, "to tackle friction in the Public Administrator's office after multiple claims of bullying and favoritism."
"I'd like to ask you for your help now," Telles says in the video. "I'd like to ask you to please be sure to vote for me in this year's election."
In June, as it was becoming clear that Telles would lose the primary election, he began to push back online against worker abuse allegations, and he attacked the Review-Journal's investigative reporting.
In a blog that reads more like a rant, he accuses German and his opponent of turning Democratic voters against him.
"The article was intentionally gut-wrenching. It was so ugly that you almost had to believe it was true. I can understand why you might have, with the writer's skill at pushing buttons. Also, the timing of the article was very convenient for my opponent..." Telles wrote.
"They are seeking to destroy me both personally and professionally," he added.
"It's scary to think about," says Devin Bonadeo, another of Telles' neighbors.
"With the media and politics getting so closely intertwined, I think it's getting... I think there's been a growth in interaction between those two, and it goes to show what it's looking like and the road that it's going down," Bonadeo said.
That road continued on Twitter on June 18, when Telles accuses German of going through his family's trash. He calls German a bully who slings "BS."
He tweets, "looking forward to lying smear piece #4 by Jeff German. I think he's mad that iI haven't crawled into a hole and died," calling German a "one-trick pony."
Telles also posted text conversations he had with German, accusing the reporter of making "a veiled threat" to make him take down his site after losing the election.
KTNV has learned German was planning another article based on new records he requested from Clark County. Asked about the content of those records and when this office might re-open, county officials said they have no comment at this time.
