FELONY ARREST IN THE VILLAGE OF GENESEO
On October 10th, 2026 at approximately 10:53 am, Sheriff’s Deputy Gavin Duell was dispatched to the Livingston County Government Center for the reported possibly intoxicated individual who had been observed operating a vehicle.
Upon arrival contact was made with the operator of the vehicle who was identified as 59-year-old Michael Kurtz of Livonia. During the initial encounter with Kurtz, the Deputy Sheriff suspected that he was possibly under the influence of alcohol. A DWI investigation was completed, which included the performance of standardized field sobriety tests. At the completion of the investigation, Kurtz was taken into custody for DWI.
Kurtz was then transported to the Sheriff’s Office Headquarters, where he was offered a breathalyzer to determine his blood alcohol content (BAC). Sergeant Brenda Clark of the Jail Division did administer the test, which revealed that Kurtz had a blood alcohol content (BAC) of .12%.
A records check revealed that Kurtz had a previous DWI related conviction in 2025, making this arrest a felony.
Kurtz was charged with felony Driving While Intoxicated.Kurtz was turned over to Central Booking Deputies at the Livingston County Jail for arrest processing and pre-arraignment detention. He was later arraigned at the Livingston County Centralized Arraignment Part (LC-CAP) at the Livingston County Jail before Town of West Sparta Justice Mahany. The Judge did release Kurtz on his own recognizance, as the offense does not qualify for bail under the NYS Bail Reform Act.The Livingston County Public Defender’s Office was present and represented Kurtz at the court arraignment for his defense. The Livingston County District Attorney’s Office was notified and also appeared to represent the People.
