Manuel Portillo, the warden who headed Southern Desert Correctional Center north of Las Vegas, is no longer with the Nevada Department of Corrections after an employee accused him of biting the worker’s ear during a holiday party at Palace Station. The alleged run-in reportedly happened in mid-December, and the employee later went to Las Vegas Metro Police to report the contact. Portillo had been listed as the facility’s warden until NDOC updated his employment status.
According to a police report obtained by 8 News Now, the employee told officers that Portillo grabbed his chains, cursed at him, chest-bumped him and then bit his ear during a Station Casinos holiday event at Palace Station on Dec. 13. The report states that Palace Station security video captured part of the alleged battery, according to 8 News Now.
NDOC record and career
The Nevada Department of Corrections lists Manuel E. Portillo as warden at Southern Desert Correctional Center and notes that he began working for the agency in July 2005. His NDOC biography describes a career that started as a correctional officer and progressed to lieutenant, along with service in the U.S. Air Force and oversight of the prison’s emergency response team, according to the facility bio at the Nevada Department of Corrections.
NDOC confirms employment change
NDOC told 8 News Now that Portillo was no longer an employee as of Jan. 9, even though his biography remained on the department’s website earlier in the month. According to 8 News Now, investigators were unable to reach Portillo for comment, and a Station Casinos spokesperson declined to comment on the incident.
What happens next
The employee’s report is now on file with Las Vegas Metro Police, and it is not yet public whether prosecutors will pursue charges. NDOC’s personnel procedures could lead to an administrative review that is separate from any criminal investigation, though the department has not released additional information beyond confirming the change in Portillo’s employment status.
