Friday, October 30, 2009
Violence between adults on Huntington ISD property last week has brought the issue of handguns on campus to light.
Two men, including a school student's parent and the husband of the Huntington High School principal, were arrested Oct. 22 after bringing a bat and a gun to a confrontation in front of the district police officer.
Greg Boston, 38, is charged with felony exhibition of a firearm for grabbing a .380 handgun out of his truck when confronted by a bat-wielding Frank Williams, 67, husband of principal Jennifer Williams.
Boston and his attorney both declined to comment on the case. Williams and his wife did not respond to an e-mailed request for comment and could not be reached by phone.
Superintendent Eric Wright declined to comment on the incident Wednesday, as it did not directly involve a student or employee.
A phone message and open records request sent to the office of Chief Michael Jinkins, campus security, did not get a response by late Thursday.
It is legal for a person with a concealed handgun permit to carry a gun in their vehicle into a school parking lot, but not into any school buildings, or into an area where sports are played, according to Texas Education Code information provided by the Texas Department of Public Safety. If signs specifically prohibit weapons in a certain area, then they are not allowed.
Concealed permit carriers may not exhibit, use or threaten to exhibit the weapon anywhere on school property, the code states.
It was not clear Thursday whether Boston holds a concealed handgun permit. Information on who is licensed to carry a concealed handgun is kept secret by law except from police, according to the DPS.
Should Boston be convicted of the charge of felony exhibition of a firearm for his alleged involvement in the incident, he would not be eligible to apply for a concealed permit.
Both men are out on bond, and are innocent until proven guilty. The next step in the case would be to present evidence to a grand jury, to decide whether the case against either man would move forward.