Re: Workers: County official's anger over humiliating stories was still festering

[50 gallon drum]

In article <t21fqj$3aqmb$1...@news.freedyn.de>
<governo...@gmail.com> wrote:

As Las Vegas police closed in Wednesday on Clark County Public
Administrator Robert Telles, his employees said they have long
feared for their safety.

Officers arrested Telles, 45, on suspicion of killing Review-
Journal investigative reporter Jeff German, who had documented
an alleged tumultuous and hostile work environment within the
outgoing elected official’s office.

“It’s just more real now. It’s like a realization that we’ve
been in the office with someone who hates us and is capable of
this kind of violent crime,” said Aleisha Goodwin, an estate
coordinator in Telles’ office. Goodwin had filed a confidential
retaliation complaint with the Clark County Office of Diversity,
German reported in May.

In his investigations, German talked to a half-dozen current and
former employees who alleged months of bullying, emotional
distress and favoritism by Telles.

“All along, there’s been a concern for safety for myself and
others who were bold and brave enough to put their names out
there in the articles,” Reid said.

Police searched Telles’ house on Wednesday morning, one day
after releasing a photo of a red GMC Yukon Denali they believe
was tied to the killing.

“When I saw that car, the hair on my arms just stood up,” said
Goodwin, who recognized it as belonging to Telles. Review-
Journal reporters saw Telles in his driveway Tuesday, standing
next to an SUV matching that description.

Telles did not return requests for comment Wednesday.

Telles’ top deputy in the office, Rita Reid, said she thought
his anger was still festering, especially after he potentially
learned in early August there was a new round of records
requests.

Reid said he was still complaining about German’s articles just
days before the killing.

“You have not had truly bad bosses if you think I tortured you,”
he wrote in an Aug. 28 text message that Reid shared with the
Review-Journal. “You’ve ruined my life’s path and damaged the
office.”

Reid, who ran in the office’s Democratic primary this summer and
bested Telles, said employees interviewed by the Review-Journal
were anxious about their well-being after the reporter’s killing.

The employees reported being on edge Wednesday morning but
continued to come in to work. They said the building’s locks
were changed, and a sign posted at the entrance Wednesday
morning read, “This building is temporarily closed.”

County spokesman Erik Pappa declined to comment.

German, 69, was a storied newsman who spent more than 40 years
uncovering a myriad of corruption and scandals in Las Vegas and
told his co-workers he brushed off threats. Police said he was
stabbed to death outside his northwest Las Vegas home on Friday
morning.

“The guy investigated the mob and all kinds of things,” said one
shocked former county employee who did not want to be named out
of concern for his safety. “It’s just hard to imagine he gets
done in by exposing operations in the smallest possible county
office of government. That’s nuts.”

In a series of tweets this June, Telles called German a bully,
said he was “obsessed” with him and accused the reporter of
preparing “lying smear piece #4.”

When he was killed, German had an outstanding request for public
government records involving Telles. He texted Goodwin Friday
morning, hours before police say he was attacked.

In their exchanges, Goodwin alerted German that several
employees were resigning.

“Thanks. I’ll be back at work on Thursday. That may be a story,”
replied German, who was beginning a week-long vacation.

‘Justice for Jeff’

Telles previously denied his employees’ accusations against him
and blamed a handful of disgruntled employees, “old-timers,” for
making false claims against him and exaggerating the extent of
his “inappropriate relationship” with Roberta Lee-Kennett, who
also did not respond to requests for comment.

German documented members of warring office factions who said
they had suffered emotional stress, which in some cases had
impaired their physical health.

Employees said that they reached out to German out of
desperation when the county refused to heed their complaints and
felt some relief when their stories were told and Telles lost
the election.

“The reality and the horrific nature of what’s happened has
really come to a head,” Reid said. “And we just want justice for
Jeff.”

Contact Briana Erickson at beri...@reviewjournal.com or 702-
387-5244. Follow @ByBrianaE on Twitter. The Review-Journal’s
investigative team focuses on reporting that holds leaders and
agencies accountable and exposes wrongdoing.

https://www.reviewjournal.com/investigations/workers-county-
officials-anger-over-humiliating-stories-was-still-festering-
2636005/