Ron Nirenberg says Clayton Perry should resign if hit-and-run report is accurate

District 10 Councilman Clayton Perry is under investigation by San Antonio police for allegedly fleeing the scene of an auto accident near his Northeast Side home Sunday night, City Hall sources confirmed. A police officer found Perry, 67, in the backyard of his home on Calico Creek with a cut on his head and smelling of alcohol. “If the details in the police report regarding Sunday night are accurate, Councilman Perry should resign,” Mayor Ron Nirenberg said. The accident occurred just after 9 p.m. Sunday when the driver of a black Jeep Wrangler crashed head-on into a Honda Civic at Jones Maltsberger and Redland, according to a redacted police report. The Civic sustained “major damage.”

The driver of the Wrangler fled. A witness followed the vehicle to its destination and returned to the site of the accident to give the address to the driver of the Civic, who passed it on to the police. Police matched the address given by the witness to the Wrangler’s registration. When an officer arrived at the Calico Creek home, he saw the Wrangler parked in the driveway, running but unoccupied. The officer knocked on the front door, but no one answered. As he returned to his patrol car, he heard “a moaning sound” coming from the backyard. Just beyond the backyard gate, police found Perry lying on the ground with a laceration to his head. He was wearing a black Polo shirt and light khaki shorts that matched the description of the Wrangler’s driver that witnesses gave to police. Officers reported that Perry was “standing very unsteady on his feet.” He refused to answer questions at one point and gave vague answers at another when asked if he had been involved in the crash. He told officers that he was not driving his vehicle that night. In his report, the officer listed the offense as failure to stop and give information after a crash with damage totaling more than $200. Under Texas law, that’s a Class B misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of up to $2,000 and 180 days in jail. The officer said in his report that he left Perry’s home without taking further action based on the information he had. KSAT broke the news Monday night. The councilman did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday, and Perry isn’t the only council member under fire this week.