District 10 City Councilman Clayton Perry announced on Monday that he planned to take a sabbatical from the council. He said he did not plan to resign.
“I’m human, and I made a bad decision — a huge one,” Perry said.
He made the announcement during a midday Monday press conference at his Northeast Side field office, about 90 minutes before a special city council meeting convened to express no confidence in him and to vote whether or not to call for his resignation.
Perry asked the council for “compassion.” It was unclear what impact Perry statement would have on council deliberations.
The series of announcements and statements followed the release of body cam footage on Thursday showing the councilman possibly inebriated following an alleged hit and run.
The council resolution said Perry was, in the video, “acting in a manner that as the very least suggests he was severely intoxicated but lucid enough to evade the officer’s questions.”
It added that his actions and criminal case have negatively impacted his and the council’s ability to conduct businesses.
Even if the council approved the resolution, Perry would still have to decide himself to step down. The council does not have a means to remove a council member unless the member is convicted of what the city charter calls “a crime of moral turpitude.”
The resolution would start the process of the city council selecting a replacement if Perry resigns.
Perry faced one charge of failing to stop and exchange information. It was unclear if he was formally charged with DWI.
The councilman remained out on bond on Monday.
The 13-minute body cam video showed SAPD officer Patrick Des Rosiers arriving at Perry’s Northeast Side home just a few blocks away from the accident at Redland Road and Jones Maltsberger.
It began with the officer seeing Perry’s black Jeep Wrangler running in the driveway.
According to the police report and video, Perry, who is referred to as S1, was approached by the officer in his backyard at 10:15 p.m., as seen on timestamps in the video.
“I heard a moaning sound coming from the backyard of the location. The gate was open, and I could see a male, lying on the ground. I approached S1 and saw a laceration to his head. S1 was wearing a black Polo shirt and light khaki shorts. I contacted S1 and observed him to be slow to answer questions, confused about recent events of the evening, and once he was standing was very unsteady on his feet,” the report said.
In the video, De Rosiers questioned Perry multiple times, asking if he was driving, and where he had been, and if he had been drinking, and if he was able to stand up.
In response, Perry said he was “just trying to get into my house,” and he denied several times that he had been drinking or driving.
“I’m not gonna lie — I ask a lot of questions that I already know the answer to,” De Rosiers said. “So the more you lie to me, the harder this is for you — easier for me, harder for you.”
“Yeah,” Perry responded.
“So who was driving?” he asked.
“Not me,” Perry said.
Clayton Perry Arrest Affidavit by Dan Katz on Scribd
De Rosiers called an ambulance for medical treatment but Perry ultimately refused to be treated.
After finding Perry’s wallet, he asked if he could pull out his ID, to which the councilman said, “yes,” and Perry’s yellow City of San Antonio ID badge could be seen in one of the wallet’s pockets.
By the end of the footage, he asked Perry if he could search his Jeep to find his house keys, which Perry appeared unable to locate. However, the councilman declined.
While the entire video lasted 13 minutes and 37 seconds, the footage ended at 10:41 p.m., meaning the entire encounter between the officer and Perry was about 26 minutes. There were several cuts in the video, with a large piece missing while EMS spoke with Perry.