Fresno Council Candidate Cleared After DUI Arrest Sparks Calls for Independent Investigations Into Police, City Attorney

Fresno City Council District 1 candidate Naindeep Singh Chann tested negative for drugs following a Saturday night arrest that triggered multiple calls for independent investigations into the police department, City Attorney Andrew Janz, and potential racial profiling — all less than two weeks before the Nov. 3 election.

Police Chief Mindy Casto announced the negative toxicology results Tuesday and personally apologized to Singh, saying the arrest would not appear on his record and that tow fees would be refunded. Mayor Jerry Dyer also apologized, calling the arrest “untimely and unfortunate.”

A traffic officer pulled Singh over at 11:54 p.m. Saturday in the Tower District for expired registration tags. The officer, a 10-year veteran and Drug Recognition Expert, observed nystagmus (uncontrollable eye movement) in Singh’s eyes and administered field sobriety tests. Singh failed six of eight indicator tests, including the walk-and-turn test, the finger-to-nose test, and the Romberg time estimation test, with a pulse rate up to 128 beats per minute, according to Casto. A breathalyzer test for alcohol came back negative, but the officer arrested Singh on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs. Singh was transported to CRMC for a blood draw, then cited and released to his wife.

Casto defended the officer’s decision, saying probable cause was clearly established. “Every step taken, there was some reason for officers to believe that at the time, and probable cause is the standard required for an arrest, certainly not beyond a reasonable doubt like there would be for conviction,” Casto said. The officer did not learn Singh was a City Council candidate until after the arrest was made, when another officer recognized him, Casto added.

Singh, who also serves as a Central Unified school board trustee, held a press conference in the Tower District an hour after Casto’s announcement. “I believe certain individuals inside City Hall and my political opponent intentionally promoted a false narrative attempting to unfairly damage my reputation and mislead our community here in Fresno,” Singh said. “The bottom line: the truth is stronger than any lie, and integrity will outlast any politics.” Singh did not discuss the field sobriety test results during his press conference.

The arrest became public when City Attorney Andrew Janz confirmed it to an independent blogger over the weekend. Janz’s office does not handle DUI cases but has specific oversight roles in local elections, including Singh’s race. A city attorney spokesperson defended Janz, saying “an arrest is a matter of public record” and that the office is “tasked with responding to matters of public record, a requirement under state and federal law.”

Attorney Kevin Little, a longtime civil rights lawyer who has donated to and endorsed Singh’s opponent Rob Fuentes, said he is working on Singh’s behalf “to get to the bottom of what at this point appears to be potential police and government misconduct, which is a threat to our free society.” Little said no claims for damages have been filed yet and that he hopes “to receive cooperation from the authorities to get to the bottom of what transpired.” Little added that “the election should be decided by people, not police officers.”

The Bains Law Offices, a Fresno firm that contributed $5,500 to Singh’s campaign in September 2025, sent a detailed letter to City Hall demanding an independent investigation into Janz and his handling of the arrest. The letter, signed by attorney Iqbal Singh Bains, “questions the timing of the arrest, acknowledges concerns about the potential for political bias and debates the role Janz played in releasing the nonpublically available information,” according to Fresnoland.

City Councilmember Miguel Arias, a Singh supporter, said he plans to call for an internal review to determine how news of the arrest leaked and whether any policies or procedures were violated.

Sandra Celedon, president and CEO of Fresno Building Healthy Communities and a Singh supporter, called for an independent probe into whether racism played a role in the traffic stop. “The city should commission an independent review of this stop and release the body camera footage,” Celedon said. “That review should look at whether race played a role.” Casto disputed the idea that racial profiling was a factor.

Police said Tuesday the body camera footage could be released. By Wednesday, the city refused to release it, citing an “ongoing investigation.” Police did not say what, if anything, officers are still investigating after the negative test results.

Celedon’s organization co-authored a 2025 report examining racial profiling at the Fresno Police Department using 2022 data collected under California’s Racial and Identity Profiling Act (RIPA). The report showed “higher rates of traffic stops involving Black and brown drivers, and lower rates for white drivers,” according to Celedon. The state RIPA board report also noted that “oversaturation policing” — concentrating police staffing on specific neighborhoods — “disproportionately harms marginalized communities and undermines public safety.”

Extra police officers and patrol were assigned to monitor the Tower District last weekend in connection with a string of recent shootings in the neighborhood. The extra officers did not prevent a shooting Saturday night, when someone fired nearly a dozen gunshots during a dispute with no injuries reported, but they did stop Singh for expired registration tags while he was driving through the district he is campaigning to represent.

Singh told Fresnoland in an interview late last year that he had been followed by unidentified people in unmarked vehicles during fall 2023, following a meeting earlier that year between top police department brass and members of Fresno’s Hindu community. Police have acknowledged that the Hindu community members asked officers to monitor Singh and another man — without evidence — for alleged ties to organized crime. Current and former Fresno cops denied following Singh in 2023.

One day after Casto announced the negative test results, a political mailer paid for by Fresno Healthy Communities was distributed to voters accusing Singh of “swerving through the Tower District” and “driving under the influence of drugs.” The mailer stated in fine print that the image used was only an illustration. Singh described it as “completely a deep fake, which is very scary that this is what people are stooping to here at the local level.”

Fresno Healthy Communities later issued a retraction: “Since entering the mail system, Mr. Chann’s police-administered toxicology test returned a negative result for drugs, clearing allegations made by the Fresno Police Department regarding the alleged criminal conduct. Fresno Healthy Communities retracts the allegations made in the mailer, as the Fresno Police Department confirmed that those allegations were ultimately unfounded.”

Thomas Holyoke, a political science professor at Fresno State, said the retraction may not erase the effect of the mailer. “The damage is already done and from the point of view of the organization that did this, that might not be a big deal to them,” he said. “It might not be a huge hit, you know in a competitive race, any hit like this is going to be harmful to him.”

Singh’s opponent, Rob Fuentes, said in a statement that the mailer did not come from his campaign and that he “unequivocally” condemns it. Fuentes added: “I am sorry that Naindeep experienced what he experienced these last two days. I wish him well. And, ultimately, I am glad that we are now able to return to the issues facing District 1, such as the cost of living/affordability, public safety, and community revitalization.”

The Breakdown

• A Fresno police officer pulled Singh over Saturday night for expired registration tags in the Tower District, where extra police patrols had been assigned due to recent shootings. The officer observed nystagmus in Singh’s eyes and administered field sobriety tests. Singh failed six of eight tests but passed a breathalyzer for alcohol. The officer arrested Singh on suspicion of drug DUI, and Singh’s blood was drawn at CRMC.
• An expedited toxicology test returned negative for drugs Tuesday. Police Chief Mindy Casto and Mayor Jerry Dyer both apologized to Singh. Casto said the arrest will not appear on Singh’s record and tow fees will be refunded. Casto defended the officer’s decision to arrest, saying probable cause was clearly met.
• City Attorney Andrew Janz confirmed the arrest to an independent blogger over the weekend. Janz’s office does not handle DUI cases but has oversight roles in local elections. A spokesperson said arrests are matters of public record and the office is required to respond to such requests.
• Three separate calls for independent investigations have been made: civil rights attorney Kevin Little is working on Singh’s behalf to examine “potential police and government misconduct”; the Bains Law Offices sent a letter demanding an independent investigation into Janz’s handling of the arrest and the timing; and Fresno Building Healthy Communities CEO Sandra Celedon called for an independent review of whether race played a role in the stop.
• City Councilmember Miguel Arias said he plans to call for an internal review of how news of the arrest leaked and whether policies were violated.
• A political mailer paid for by Fresno Healthy Communities was sent to voters one day after the negative test results were announced, accusing Singh of DUI. The organization later retracted the allegations. Singh’s opponent Rob Fuentes condemned the mailer and said it did not come from his campaign.
• Police initially said body camera footage could be released, then refused Wednesday, citing an “ongoing investigation” without specifying what is being investigated.

What This Means for You

District 1 voters go to the polls Nov. 3 to choose between Singh and Fuentes for a City Council seat. This arrest happened 10 days before that election. The arrest itself is no longer a question: Singh tested negative, the police chief apologized, and the record will be cleared. What remains open is whether the stop, the arrest decision, the public release of the information, and the political mailer that followed represent legitimate law enforcement and campaign activity or a breakdown in how the city’s police department and attorney’s office handle a candidate during an election.

The calls for independent investigations are accountability claims against the police department and the city attorney’s office — both public agencies voters fund and whose leadership answers to the elected mayor. How those investigations proceed, whether they happen at all, and what they find will be public information voters can use to judge the mayor’s administration and the oversight the City Council provides. If you are a District 1 voter, the timing and circumstances of this arrest are now part of the record you can weigh in deciding between Singh and Fuentes.

What You Can Do

The District 1 runoff election is Nov. 3, 2026. Early voting is open now. You can find your polling place and vote-by-mail information at the Fresno County Clerk’s election website.

What to Watch

The material documents three distinct accountability questions, and none of them has an answer yet. First: was this a legitimate traffic stop and arrest, or did race, politics, or both shape the officer’s decisions? The police chief says no, but the material also documents that Singh — one of the department’s “loudest public critics” — was followed by unidentified people in 2023 after police met with a Hindu community group that asked officers to monitor him for alleged organized-crime ties without evidence. The body camera footage would settle part of this question, and the city is now refusing to release it, citing an “ongoing investigation” with no explanation of what is being investigated after a negative toxicology test. Why is an investigation still open, and what is it examining?

Second: why did City Attorney Janz — whose office does not handle DUI cases but does have oversight roles in elections — confirm this arrest to a blogger, and who else inside City Hall knew about it and when? The Bains Law Offices’ letter and Councilmember Arias’s planned internal review both point to this question, but the material documents no answers yet. The city attorney spokesperson says arrests are public records and the office is required to respond, but the material does not state whether Janz’s office routinely confirms arrests on request or whether this was an exception.

Third: who paid for the Fresno Healthy Communities mailer, who decided to send it one day after the negative test was announced, and was that timing a mistake or a calculated risk? The mailer’s own retraction says it was submitted to the postal service before the negative test results were public, but a political science professor says “the damage is already done” and the retraction may not matter in a close race. The opponent, Fuentes, condemned the mailer and says his campaign did not produce it, but the material does not state who funds or controls Fresno Healthy Communities or whether any connection to the Fuentes campaign exists. Campaign finance filings would show that.

Finally: Celedon’s broader point is that this case “typifies the problems” documented in last year’s racial-profiling report, and she says “most people stopped this way don’t get a press conference, a public platform or an expedited lab test.” Singh’s case got all three because he is a candidate, but Celedon’s question is what happens to every other driver of color stopped for an expired tag in Fresno. The material documents that the 2025 RIPA report showed “higher rates of traffic stops involving Black and brown drivers” and that the state board flagged “oversaturation policing” as disproportionately harming marginalized communities. The independent investigations Singh’s attorney and Celedon are calling for would produce public records voters can use to judge whether the department’s practices are the problem, not just this one stop. Watch for whether those investigations happen, who conducts them, and whether the city releases the body camera footage and explains what the “ongoing investigation” is actually investigating.

Related Coverage

• Fresno Police Chief Apologizes to City Council Candidate After Toxicology Test Clears Him of DUI Allegation
• City Council Candidate Singh Arrested on DUI Suspicion Days Before Election; Police Silent, Toxicology Reports Disputed
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