Fresno City Council candidate Naindeep Singh was cleared days after he was arrested on suspicion of a drug-related DUI a little more than a week before the Nov. 3 election. Singh was cleared days later when an expedited blood test came back negative.
The episode scrambled the District 1 race against Rob Fuentes and prompted an apology from Fresno’s police.
Here are key takeaways:
- DUI arrest: Fresno police arrested Singh early Saturday Oct. 24 in the Tower District on suspicion of drug-related DUI, initially withholding details about where he was pulled over or what prompted the stop. Singh, 48, is executive director of the Jakara Movement and a Central Unified trustee running for the District 1 seat.
- Singh denies charge: He denied the allegations on Punjabi Radio USA, saying an officer stopped him in the Tower District over expired registration tags after a late-night taco run. He said he passed a Breathalyzer, cooperated with a toxicology evaluation at Community Regional Medical Center and called the incident a smear tied to his campaign against corruption and SEDA, a polarizing.
- Fresno police silence: The department declined to share basic details about the traffic stop, with Lt. Brian Pierce questioning why The Bee kept asking. Singh was not booked into the Fresno County Jail, and an unverified independent drug screen circulating online showed negative results.
- Drug screen could take weeks: The Fresno County District Attorney’s Office said official toxicology results could take up to three weeks — potentially past Election Day. Tower District resident Kiel Thomas Lopez-Schmidt defended Singh and raised concerns that recently increased police patrols in the nightlife district could lead to racial profiling.
- Cleared and apology: Police Chief Mindy Casto announced an expedited blood test cleared Singh of any wrongdoing, and she and Mayor Jerry Dyer called him to apologize. Casto said the arrest will not appear on his record and tow fees will be refunded, though she maintained the officer had probable cause after Singh failed six of eight indicator tests.
- Opponent retracts criticism: Fuentes, a former federal prosecutor whose campaign had sent a mass text urging Singh to drop out, retracted his call and apologized for what his opponent went through, while accusing Singh of spreading falsehoods during the campaign.
Original stories by Anthony Galaviz, Nick Fenley and Gagandeep Singh.…