A Geneseo student has been arrested and charged in a Halloween incident involving the possession and sale of marijuana to minors.
According to police, four teenage trick-or-treaters arrived at senior Joshua Balduf's apartment at 72 Court St. at around 8 p.m on Oct. 31 asking for candy.
Balduf, 22, reportedly told the group that he did not have any candy and turned them away. The group also allegedly asked him for alcohol and was again turned away. The teens supposedly returned to the apartment approximately one hour later. The group was then allegedly invited inside by Balduf, who offered them marijuana and smoked it with them, police said.
Following his appearance in the Geneseo Village Court Tuesday night, Balduf has been charged with second-degree criminal sale of marijuana, a felony, as well as two misdemeanors - first degree unlawfully dealing with a child, and first degree endangering the welfare of a child, Geneseo Village Police Chief Eric Osganian said.
Balduf was arraigned last week in the Geneseo Village Court and was held in the Livingston County Jail for $5,000 cash bail, or $10,000 bond. He may face additional charges.
Pending the advice of his lawyer, Balduf declined to comment.
The teens involved in the incident are between the ages of 15 and 17.
Geneseo Village Police were notified of the alleged event by a father of one of the teens after his daughter returned home later that evening, Osganian said.
On Nov. 2, the Geneseo Village Police acted on a search warrant for the apartment and subsequently arrested Balduf's two housemates, seniors Jesse Schulman and Nicholas Watson.
Balduf's housemates, who are scheduled to appear in the Geneseo Village Court on Dec. 4, have been charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance and unlawful possession of marijuana. Heeding their lawyers' counsel, both students have declined comment.
Members of the college administration could not be reached for comment. However, according to a Democrat and Chronicle article published on Nov. 7, the administration has been informed of the incident and the students face disciplinary action from the college.
*Editor's Note:The charges against Schulman were reduced to one count of disorderly conduct. All criminal charges against Schulman were dropped.
In a formal letter, Schulman's lawyer Gregory McGaffrey said that the remaining charge stemmed from the presence of prescription medication in Schulman's bedroom. According to Schulman, the controlled substance was a bottle of Ritalin that his sister accidentally left in his room when she had visited.