Ex-Nevada prison warden charged in alleged ear-biting of coworker at casino

A former Nevada Department of Corrections prison warden has been charged with a felony and a misdemeanor after being accused of biting a former co-worker’s ear at a work event last month.

Manuel E. Portillo, according to Las Vegas Justice Court records, was charged Tuesday with one count of felony attempted robbery and one count of misdemeanor battery following an alleged altercation at a gathering at Palace Station on Dec. 13.

Portillo worked for the Department of Corrections for over 20 years, beginning in 2005, according to an email from a department spokeswoman. In September, he accepted the role of warden at Southern Desert Correctional Center near Indian Springs.

The spokeswoman said that as of Jan. 9, Portillo was no longer a department employee, though his bio remained on the prison’s website as of Tuesday afternoon.

According to a Metropolitan Police Department report, a corrections officer at High Desert State Prison told police that Portillo “started cursing at him and chest-bumping him” while appearing to be intoxicated at a “work event” at the casino.

The report said Portillo threatened to beat the man up before he grabbed the man “by the back of his neck and then bit him on the ear.”

The man, the report said, then pushed Portillo away, though Portillo “grabbed his shirt and chains,” while saying “I’ll take your chains, m—————-.”

Others, including Palace Station security, stepped in to separate the men. Portillo, according to his bio on the prison website, served in the Air Force from 1997 until 2005 and the Air Force Reserve from 2005 until 2021.

The robbery charge is a Class B felony in Nevada, which carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.

Contact Bryan Horwath at bhorwath@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BryanHorwath on X.