(LAS VEGAS) — A former Nevada county official accused of fatally stabbing a Las Vegas journalist who was investigating his office has pleaded not guilty to murder.

Robert Telles, 45, appeared briefly in a Clark County courtroom Wednesday morning for his arraignment hearing. He waived his right to have a jury trial set within 60 days.

His next court appearance is scheduled for Nov. 2.

Telles was arrested last month in connection with the death of Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Jeff German, who police said was found stabbed to death outside his home on Sept. 3.

He was formally indicted by a Clark County grand jury last week on the charge of murder with use of a deadly weapon. The indictment alleged that Telles, “with malice aforethought,” killed German by stabbing him multiple times.

Telles, who served as the Clark County public administrator, blamed German for ruining his career in politics and his marriage, according to prosecutors.

Telles lost his bid for re-election following an investigation by German in the Review-Journal that exposed turmoil in his office and accusations of bullying, retaliation and an “inappropriate relationship” between Telles and a staffer.

Police said Telles was seen approaching the journalist’s home and allegedly had an altercation with him the day before the murder. He allegedly returned the following day in a disguise — described by police as a straw hat and reflective vest — and stabbed German outside his home, police said.

Telles was arrested on Sept. 7 after DNA evidence found by a SWAT team at his home linked him to the crime scene, police said.

Telles has been held without bail in Clark County Detention Center. He was denied bail during a court appearance this week, despite his attorney’s argument that he is not a threat to the community or a flight risk, Las Vegas ABC affiliate KTNV-TV reported.

Telles’ term as public administrator didn’t expire until Jan. 1, 2023, though he was officially removed from office on Oct. 5, according to KTNV.

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(KANSAS CITY, Mo.) — One person is dead and up to three others are injured after a bridge that was under construction near Kansas City, Missouri, collapsed, authorities said.

Workers were pouring concrete on the bridge deck when it collapsed Wednesday afternoon, before 2 p.m. local time, according to the Clay County Sheriff’s Office.

The bridge collapsed on top of the workers and rescue efforts ensued, Clay County Western Commissioner Jon Carpenter told ABC News.

Three to four workers became trapped, the sheriff’s office said. Two to three of them were able to escape from the collapse themselves and were transported to area hospitals with minor injuries, the sheriff’s office said.

The deceased victim has not been publicly identified.

There were multiple contracting companies on the scene at the time of the collapse and no county employees, authorities said.

The two-lane bridge spans Carroll Creek at Northeast 148th Street and Shady Grove Road in Washington Township, outside of Kearney, about 27 miles northeast of Kansas City.

The bridge has been closed since 2016. Construction began in May 2021, and it was set to reopen in early 2023.

“The Clay County Highway Department states there were no safety concerns on the project prior to today,” the Clay County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement on Wednesday. “An engineering contractor was on scene today inspecting the bridge before the deck was poured.”

The sheriff’s office said it will turn over the investigation to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

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(CLEVELAND) — A pair of competitive fishermen reeled in by suspicious tournament officials after allegedly putting lead weights and fish fillets in their catch pleaded not guilty to criminal charges on Wednesday.

Jacob Runyan, 42, and Chase Cominsky, 35, were indicted by a grand jury on charges including cheating, attempted grand theft and possessing criminal tools — all felonies — earlier this month, the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office said.

During their arraignment in a Cleveland courthouse, both Runyan and Cominsky pleaded not guilty to the charges and were released on personal bonds of $2,500, court records show. A pre-trial hearing has been scheduled for Nov. 9.

ABC News reached out to their attorneys for comment.

According to authorities, the two men had participated in the Lake Erie Walleye Trail Tournament in Cleveland on Sept. 30, where anglers competed to see who could catch the heaviest walleye fish. The tournament’s director, Jason Fischer, became suspicious when he noticed their walleyes weighed in far more than expected, according to the prosecutor’s office.

Video of Fischer slicing open the fish shows him pulling out several round weights and fish fillets as the crowd reacts with anger. Cominsky and Runyan were disqualified and instructed to leave, and Cleveland police responded to the scene, according to the prosecutor’s office.

In total, 10 weights were found inside the walleyes — eight weighing 12 ounces and two weighing eight ounces, the prosecutor’s office said. The pair had also stuffed walleye fillets inside the fish.

Had the two men won the tournament, they would have received $28,760, prosecutors said.

“I take all crime very seriously, and I believe what these two individuals attempted to do was not only dishonorable but also criminal,” Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O’Malley said in a statement on Oct. 12.

As part of the investigation, law enforcement officers with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and the Hermitage Pennsylvania Police Department on Tuesday seized Cominsky’s boat and trailer used in the tournament, the prosecutor’s office said. The indictment cites both in the possessing criminal tools charge and that they were “intended for use in the commission of a felony.”

In addition to the felony charges, both men were charged with unlawful ownership of wild animals, a misdemeanor, for the alleged possession of walleye parts on their boat, the prosecutor’s office said.

The felony charges are punishable by up to 12 months in prison, and the misdemeanor by up to 30 days in jail, the prosecutor’s office said. A conviction on the unlawful ownership of wild animals charge could also result in an indefinite suspension of their fishing licenses, it said.

In the wake of the scandal, Fischer said “this type of behavior will not be tolerated” and vowed to implement changes to the tournament to “protect the integrity” of the sport.

“[We] witnessed one of the most disgusting, dishonest acts that the fishing world has ever seen in live time,” he said in a video statement posted on Oct. 3. “There’s always been stories about dishonesty in competition, but I personally have never seen anything quite like this.”

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(ST LOUIS, Mo.) — The family of the 19-year-old suspect accused of opening fire in a St. Louis, Missouri, high school had recently removed the firearm used in the deadly school shooting from their home, but the teen somehow got ahold of it again, authorities said Wednesday.

One student and one teacher were killed in the Monday morning shooting at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School. Several others were injured.

The suspect, Orlando Harris, who police said was armed with an AR-15-style rifle and more than 600 rounds of ammunition when he “forced entry” into the building, died during an exchange of gunfire, according to St. Louis Police Commissioner Michael Sack.

Sack told reporters during a news conference Wednesday that the family had previously contacted the department about a firearm discovered in the home.

On Oct. 15, police responded to a domestic disturbance at Harris’ home because the “suspect’s mother had located a firearm in the home and wanted it removed,” St. Louis Sgt. Charles Wall said in an update Wednesday evening.

Police determined that Harris legally possessed the gun, and a “third party known to the family” took the gun so it was no longer stored in the home, Wall said.

“While it is not yet clear when or how the suspect came to be in possession of the firearm after this incident, we can confirm that the firearm involved in this incident is the firearm used in the shooting Monday,” Wall said.

Harris — who graduated from the high school last year — had been seeing mental health professionals, Sack said Wednesday, and his family had him committed on some occasions.

Whenever Harris’ family “noticed him, kind of, stepping out of line … they always worked to try and get him back on his medication, back into therapy, whatever it is that he needed,” Sack said.

The family — who has been “fully cooperative” with police — appears to have “done everything they could have possibly done” to help Harris, Sack said, “but sometimes that’s not enough.”

Wall added that “this tragic incident occurred despite their best efforts.”

Harris “felt isolated and alone” and “there was a disconnect between him and what he felt was the school community,” Sack said.

The school “had always been the target,” he said.

Sack said Tuesday that Harris left behind a notebook with writings about his desire to “conduct this school shooting.”

According to Sack, Harris wrote: “I don’t have any friends, I don’t have any family, I’ve never had a girlfriend, I’ve never had a social life.”

Sack said Harris called himself an “isolated loner,” which Harris called a “perfect storm for a mass shooter.”

Harris’ family would search his room on occasion but the family was not aware of his notebook, Sack said.

It’s not yet clear when or how Harris bought the gun, Sack said.

ABC News’ Will Gretsky contributed to this report.

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