FRESNO, Calif. (Diya TV) — Fresno County prosecutors may not decide before Election Day whether to charge City Council candidate Naindeep Singh, whose arrest on suspicion of drug-impaired driving remains under investigation. Police are waiting for toxicology results, which could take weeks.
Fresno police arrested Singh late Saturday, Oct. 24, and cited and released him. Officers suspect he drove under the influence of a drug. Police have not released details about the evidence that led to the arrest, and the official toxicology results remain pending.
Taylor Long, a spokesperson for the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office, said prosecutors need the completed police report and laboratory results before they can decide whether to file charges. The case may therefore remain unresolved when voters choose between Singh and Rob Fuentes in the Nov. 3 City Council District 1 election.
Singh addressed the arrest at a news conference Monday and denied using drugs. He said an officer stopped him in the Tower District over his vehicle’s registration, then administered field sobriety and breathalyzer tests. Singh said he passed both tests, but the officer took him to Community Regional Medical Center for a blood draw to test for drugs. Police have not confirmed his account of the stop.
Singh also presented an independent urine-screen report that showed no positive results for the substances tested. That result is separate from the police toxicology analysis, which remains pending. The available information does not establish what the official test will show or whether prosecutors will file a case.
The arrest has prompted questions about its timing, coming days before the election, and about police activity in the Tower District. The neighborhood recently saw increased patrols after a string of shootings. Singh called for an investigation into his arrest but said he did not want to speculate about officers’ motives. No public evidence has established that racial profiling occurred in his case.
The political response has also sharpened the dispute. Fuentes’ campaign urged Singh to withdraw, saying the incident raised questions about his judgment. Singh remains in the race. He is executive director of the Jakara Movement and serves as a Central Unified School District trustee; Fuentes is a former federal prosecutor and a State Center Community College District trustee.
Singh’s arrest is not a finding of guilt, and the pending lab report alone will not determine whether prosecutors pursue charges. The district attorney’s office says it must review the full investigation first. With Election Day approaching, voters may decide the council race before that review is complete.
