Bluffton man charged with felony after medical emergency at graduation, police say
A Bluffton man faces charges after police discovered he brought a handgun into a Beaufort County middle school graduation ceremony on Wednesday.
George Gialamas, 56, of Bluffton was attending his son’s 8th grade graduation at H.E. McCracken Middle School around 10:30 a.m. when he suffered a medical emergency, according to Lt. Christian Gonzales, a spokesperson for the Bluffton Police Department.
When police went to help, they found Gialamas was carrying a small pistol, which he did not have the proper permits for, Gonzales said.
Gialamas was treated by Beaufort County EMS turned himself in to law enforcement the Thursday morning. He was charged Thursday morning with carrying a weapon onto school property, according to the Beaufort County Detention Center.
If convicted of the felony, Gialamas could face up to five years in prison and or a $1,000 fine, per state law.
Just hours before the H.E. McCracken incident, the county’s four law enforcement agencies and Beaufort County School District’s superintendent held a news conference to talk about school safety following the recent mass shooting at a Texas elementary school.
School safety
Wednesday afternoon, Beaufort County law enforcement agencies — Port Royal Police Department, the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office, the Bluffton Police Department and the Beaufort Police Department — met with Superintendent Frank Rodriguez to discuss continued efforts to ensure schools are “as safe as possible,” they said.
In a news conference, held less than 24 hours after an 18-year-old killed at least 19 students and two adults at the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, Rodriguez said the district is continuously working to improve its active shooter response.
Rodriguez declined to outline exactly what security measures are in use as a safety precaution but did say that the district plans to add more resource officers at schools, preferably two “per year, if they are available.”
Beaufort County School District schools perform more than the state’s required two active shooter drills per year, according to Rodriguez. He did not specify where those drills are recorded and how the district ensures they are being conducted at schools.
“We’re always looking at different security measures we can shift and adjust,” he said. “We’re looking at our own internal security systems and, as we do that, we will make those changes and adjustments.”
