SAN ANTONIO – Was it a threat? A bad joke? Something else?
The now-former city council staffer accused of leaving a note with a “threatening” statement in the field office of Councilwoman Misty Spears (D9) would not answer KSAT’s questions about it on Tuesday.
However, his former boss — and Spears’ predecessor — John Courage, has jumped to his defense.
“I’ll stand with him throughout this because I don’t think what’s going on is really justified,” Courage, who doesn’t believe the note was intended as a threat against anyone in the office, told KSAT.
Bryan Naylor, 36, worked for Courage before the North Side councilman was forced out by term limits in June and replaced by Spears.
Spears is one of two conservative-leaning members currently on the 11-member city council, which is technically non-partisan. Courage had been more left-leaning.
According to an arrest affidavit, one of Spears’ staff members found a note stuck to the underside of the chief of staff’s desk in the District 9 field office. It included a picture of Naylor and writing that read, “Die Fascist.”
San Antonio police said Naylor admitted to printing the photo and attaching it to the desk, as well as writing “Die Fascist.”
He also reportedly admitted to leaving lifelike replicas of a rat, snake and cockroaches hidden around the office, which Spears’ staff had previously found.
A staff member told SAPD she was afraid for herself and other people in the office, as well as for Spears and her family, according to the affidavit. The councilwoman voiced similar concerns and told police she wanted to file criminal charges.
Naylor was arrested Monday on a third-degree felony charge of making a terroristic threat against the District 9 council office. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison. He was released Tuesday on a $20,000 bond.
As he arrived home, KSAT attempted to ask Naylor what his intentions had been. However, Naylor stayed silent as he walked inside while wearing a hooded sweatshirt.
Speaking to KSAT earlier Tuesday, Spears described the note was “most definitely a threat.”
“I was the only person definitely in office and then one other staff member. So, I don’t know why you would say that to anyone,” Spears said about the note. “And, certainly, that is not something that we can accept and take lightly."
“Political disagreement is normal and expected,” the councilwoman continued. “But when you start threatening people, we can’t be tolerant of that in any level of government."
Recently, Naylor had been working for Councilwoman Ivalis Meza Gonzalez (D8), who also took office in June. However, in a statement texted by a staff member Monday night, she said Naylor was no longer with her office.
“We have zero tolerance for violence or threats of violence under any circumstances,” Meza Gonzalez said.
However, Courage doesn’t believe that’s what his former staffer intended.
In a phone interview Tuesday afternoon, Courage called Naylor a “prankster” who used to leave fake vermin around the office as a joke. He said Naylor also used to put up “notes and messages about what he thought.”
“I just think it was an unfortunate choice for him to do that, but I’m sure it was done way before anybody in District (9) — the new office — got there," Courage said. “Just probably forgot to clean up all of his mess when he left.”
Though Courage said he hadn’t talked to Naylor about it, he believes the note found by Spears’ staff may have been intended “as a joke or as a commentary about what he thought was going on in the country because I know he was as frustrated as many of us were since (Donald) Trump became president."
The affidavit also laid out claims that there had been “extreme animosity” by Courage’s outgoing staff toward Spears’ incoming staff that included “leaving the office in disarray, damaging walls, and missing equipment.”
“I believe that’s bulls—," Courage told KSAT. “I know that we made sure that we took good care of our office, and it was prepared for anybody else to come in. There was nothing that was taken. There was nothing stolen. There’s was nothing hidden. There was nothing misplaced. I was one of the last people to leave that office, and I know that it was totally prepared for them to come in.”
Another one of Courage’s former staff members told KSAT that, other than normal wear and tear, there had been a foam board map of the district they hadn’t thought to take down. However, holes were left behind the board from the darts staff used to throw at it.
The affidavit also mentioned previous, unspecified “concerning statements” Naylor made around the end of his time in the office.
Spears told police on Monday she had closed the field office until a panic button could be installed and staff procedures changed. The office appeared to still be closed on Tuesday.
When KSAT asked about the security measures, Spears also pointed to graffiti that popped up on the North Side during the “No Kings” protest in October.
“I think when you look at everything we’ve gone through in our first six months in office, I think it’s completely warranted and a wise decision to make to ensure the safety of our team and my staff,” Spears said.
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