For Accuracy, Transparency, and Leadership
Vote WRIGHT for Beaufort County Auditor JUNE 12TH
MAY 31 - JUNE 6, 2018 WWW.YOURISLANDNEWS.COM
COVERING BEAUFORT COUNTY
A DAY TO REMEMBER
COLD CASE CLOSED
Solicitor’s Office secures conviction in 38-year-old murder, rape case
Steady rain didn’t stop a handful of Boy and Girl Scouts and a few volunteers from putting out miniature American flags at some of the 20,000 head stones at the Beaufort National Cemetery on Thursday, May 24. Several hundred children and veterans group take part in placing a flag at the head stone of each grave. Pictured at left is Gannon Pezel, 4, doing his part as he helps his sister’s Girl Scouts troop from Richmond Hill, Georgia. Photos by Bob Sofaly.
Staff reports
It doesn’t take much time spent in Beaufort to see that patriotism and a deep respect for the armed forces are part of the city’s fabric, and rarely is that more apparent than on Memorial Day. Inclement weather unfortunately ham-
Snapchat post puts BHS on alert A social media post featuring a replica firearm prompted additional security at Beaufort High School on Tuesday, Beaufort County School District spokesman Jim Foster said in an email. A former BHS student who now lives in Virginia forwarded a Snapchat post featuring a gun to a current BHS ninth-grader early Tuesday morning. Although there was no direct threat to BHS or any other school, law enforcement was contacted and investigated the post, confirming that it originated in Virginia. Virginia authorities investigated the post, identified the student pictured, and questioned the student and his parents, determining that the gun featured was a replica. The Beaufort Police Department had an increased presence at the school Tuesday, and BHS families and staff were notified, but the school planned to operate on its regular schedule. “The Snapchat post does not contain any specific threat,” Foster reiterated. “But because safety is the No. 1 priority, the school is acting out of an abundance of caution.”
pered some of the usual festivities on Monday, as the annual Memorial Day parade was cancelled and the ceremony usually held at Beaufort National Cemetery was shortened and moved to the John McVey Performing Arts Center at Battery Creek High School, but Beau-
SEE MEMORIAL, PAGE A2
Hospital and Sheriff ’s Office team up to keep drugs off the street Beaufort Memorial Hospital (BMH) and the Beaufort County Sheriff ’s Office (BCSO) want to keep unused prescription drugs off the street, and they’re providing two new ways to do it. The two organizations have announced the locations of new secure drop boxes for the safe disposal of unused prescription and non-prescription drugs in Beaufort County. The drop boxes, located at the Beaufort County Sheriff ’s Office in Beaufort at 2001 Duke Street and on Hilton Head Island at 70 Shelter Cove Lane, are available to the public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and by request at other times. The two organizations are working to identify additional locations throughout the county to expand the effort. “We are keenly aware of the growing opioid epidemic, and we know that one of the many opportunities for abuse and accidental overdose exists in people’s own homes,” Beaufort County Sheriff P.J. Tanner said. “We want to provide safe, secure disposal sites for these drugs, and these drop boxes are a great place to start.” BCSO recently hosted public drug takeback events to provide community members the opportunity to get rid of unused and unwanted prescriptions. The addition of drop boxes is intended to expand the effort and encourage residents to dispose of drugs regularly,
CELEBRATING HERITAGE More than 1,000 people attended the 32nd annual Original Gullah Festival. PAGE B1
fortonians still found ways to show their appreciation for those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. The various shows of support back up Beaufort’s recent distinction as a winner
Pictured from left are Dr. Kurt Gambla (BMH), Jason Sandoval (DEA), PJ Tanner (BCSO), Todd Calhoun (BCSO), Allison Coppage (BMH). Photo by Paul Nurnberg.
thereby reducing the risk of unintended abuse. “Up to 90 percent of unused prescription opioids sit in unlocked cabinets and drawers, increasing the risk of abuse, distribution, or accidental overdose,” BMH Chief Medical Officer Kurt Gambla said. “We’re working together to make it easier for community members to safely dispose of them.” The BCSO will be responsible for processing and safely disposing of unused drugs, and will provide periodic updates to the community about collection efforts. New drop-off locations will be announced in the coming months.
EAGLES SOAR INTO SUMMER New Beaufort High football coach DeVonte Holloman led his first spring game. PAGE B2
A cold case that went unsolved for nearly four decades was closed last week when a jury convicted a Beaufort man of the 1980 murder of 18-year-old David Krulewicz, and the rape, kidnapping, and armed robbery of his 15-year-old girlfriend. Isaiah Gadson, 66, was found guilty by a Beaufort County jury on Thursday, May 24, and sentenced to 50 years for the murder and 30 years each for criminal sexual conduct, armed robbery, and kidnapping, to be served concurrently. “Two families endured not only the pain of these heinous crimes, but more than 35 years knowing the man who did this was probably still out there, possibly still roaming free,” said Hunter Swanson of the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office, who prosecuted the case. “I hope the verdict brings peace to the many people who have suffered as a result of these crimes.” Swanson leads the Solicitor’s Office Special Victims Unit, which prosecutes crimes against vulnerable populations, such as criminal sexual conduct, domestic violence, and child abuse. Krulewicz and his girlfriend were on a date the evening of Jan. 5, 1980. They were parked in his van on Old Salem Road, which at the time was a dirt road in a secluded area of northern Beaufort County. At about 11:45 p.m. – 15 minutes before Krulewicz’s girlfriend was supposed to be home for her curfew – a man approached the van and shot Krulewicz three times through the passenger-side window. Krulewicz’s girlfriend pleaded for her life as the man held a gun to her head and took $50 from her, then made her lay down on the ground in front of the van and raped her. Beaufort County law enforcement pursued several leads in the early 1980s but made no arrests. Gadson lived in the Burton area at that time but was never a suspect. In the late 1990s, Capt. Bob Bromage submitted articles of the victims’ clothing to the S.C. State Law Enforcement Division for DNA testing. The agency developed a profile from the semen found on the rape victim’s pants and underwear. As DNA profiling techniques improved, tests were repeated in the early 2000s, and the results were submitted to an FBI database. A match came in 2016, when Gadson submitted DNA after his arrest for an unrelated violent crime in Beaufort. In fact, Gadson had been in prison before and has a criminal history that includes arrests for drug and gun violations, domestic-violence, and assault and battery. He was charged with the sexual assault of a Beaufort woman in 1983 and eventually pleaded no contest to assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature. The victim in that case, who now lives in Virginia, testified in this week’s trial, revealing several similarities between the attack on her and the attack on Krulewicz’s girlfriend. Many of the witnesses and investigators who initially worked on Krulewicz’s murder case died in the intervening years. However, several forensics and DNA experts testified for the prosecution. So did Gerry Wagner, who led the Beaufort County Sheriff ’s Office investigation in the 1980s and is now retired and living in Alabama. Circuit Court Judge Brooks P. Goldsmith handed down Gadson’s sentence.
INSIDE Lowcountry Life A2 News A3-4 Around Town A5 Business A6-7 Community B1 Sports B2
Schools B3 Voices B4 B4 Wine Events B5 Directory B6 Classifieds B7