Robert Telles: Las Vegas official accused of killing reporter was arrested for assaulting wife during drunken brawl
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA: Las Vegas Democratic official Robert Telles was previously arrested for abusing his wife and resisting arrest before being accused of killing a journalist who exposed his affair. Telles, 45, was arrested on March 1, 2020, after his wife called Metropolitan police after 11 pm the previous night. Mae Ismael told officers that she and Telles were at the Bellagio casino that night where he got drunk and began arguing with her.
Police reports obtained by the Las Vegas Review-Journal claimed as his wife began driving home, Telles, a Clark County public administrator, grabbed her neck and hit her arm. He was also accused of trying to break things in the car.
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The fight continued even after they returned to their home in Peccole Ranch. Ismael said she and her children had to hide in a room as Telles yelled "kill me". After she called 911, Telles grabbed her in a tight hug and only let her go after the children pried her away. "The force of the grab, and Robert's demeanor frightened the children," said the police report. Ismael suffered no visible injuries as a result of the fight. Telles yelled at officers after they arrived at their home, collapsed into a chair and refused to get up and cooperate.
Court documents said the domestic battery charge was dismissed "per negotiations", according to the Daily Mail. Telles was only given a suspended 90-day sentence on the resisting arrest charge. He had to pay a $418 fine as well as attend 'Corrective Thinking' class focusing on stress management and relationships. He completed that on March 30, 2021.
Tellas is now facing new charges for allegedly murdering a reporter with the Las Vegas Review-Journal, named Jeff German. Telles still remains in his public administrator role and is being given $130,000 salary until someone else is elected. However, he is now being held without bail.
The journalist, 69, was found stabbed to death on September 3 after he published some articles that exposed married Telles' affair and mismanagements of public office. He wrote about how Telles lost his re-election bid in June and also revealed that he was allegedly having an affair with a colleague. German even published a video of him stepping out of a vehicle with his alleged lover. Staffer Roberta Lee-Kennett, 45, was seen leaving the backseat as Telles hoisted her skirt down. Telles maintained that all allegations made against him were false. German was later found dead, being stabbed seven times in the torso. Evidence led police to Telles soon after.