A Geneva city councilor was arrested Wednesday on a bench warrant issued after he missed an Ontario County Court appearance in a felony drug case, the Ontario County Sheriff's Office said. Ahmad Whitfield, 46, was later arraigned and released under pretrial release, according to the sheriff's Sept. 30 notice.
Whitfield was taken into custody at the Geneva Police Department at about 5:46 p.m. and brought to the Ontario County Jail before his court appearance. The warrant was issued Sept. 29 after he failed to appear in county court, the release said.
The sheriff's notice lists two counts of third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and one count of second-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance in connection with the warrant. An earlier report on the indictment described a different mix of third-degree charges. The notice does not explain whether the charges changed or provide the indictment, so the complete current count cannot be reconciled from the available documents.
Whitfield was indicted after rejecting a plea offer in the case, which followed a State Police arrest in January. The indictment was unsealed at the hearing he missed Tuesday, and a judge was expected to issue a bench warrant. Wednesday's arrest and subsequent release are new developments in that same case, not a separate drug incident established by the sheriff's notice.
Whitfield has not attended a City Council meeting since the January arrest but remains in office and continues to receive city pay, according to earlier reporting. Mayor Jim Cecere has said the city is separately reviewing questions about Whitfield's residency and seeking legal guidance; that review has not been reported as resolved.
The sheriff's notice gives no next court date or additional release conditions.
FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to news@fingerlakes1.com.
