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Nevada Ex-Warden Ordered to Counseling After Ear-Biting Incident

Loaded on June 1, 2026 published in Prison Legal News June, 2026, page 43
Filed under: Guard Misconduct, Alternative Sentencing, Assaults on Staff, Plea Agreements/Guilty Pleas. Location: Nevada.

Manuel Portillo, a former warden with the state Department of Corrections (DOC), agreed to undergo impulse control counseling in exchange for dropping charges related to biting an employee’s ear at a holiday party earlier in 2026. As part of that deal, Portillo, who previously headed Southern Desert Correction Center in Las Vegas, also agreed to stay out of trouble for a year, complete community service and stay away from the casino where the incident occurred, according to KLAS.

A police report filed by the employee and obtained by KLAS describes Portillo biting his ear during the party on December 13 at the Palace Station casino. The employee, who told police Potillo seemed intoxicated, said that the ex-warden cursed at him and chest bumped and threatened him; he then grabbed the back of the employee’s neck, bit him on the ear and, while pulling on his chains, remarked, “I’ll take your chains, [expletive].” The incident, the report noted, was captured on video surveillance.

Portillo pleaded no contest to a battery charge on May 19 and an attempted robbery charge is listed as dismissed. The ex-warden’s 90-day sentence was suspended by Judge Amy Chellini and, in addition to the mandatory counseling and other conditions, Portillo was charged a $500 fine. While the DOC confirmed that Portillo was no longer employed by the agency on January 9, his staff biography was still included on the DOC’s website as of June 2.   

 

Source: KLAS

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