FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — BREAK: Fresno Police Chief Mindy Casto announced Tuesday evening that Fresno City Council candidate Naindeep Singh’s toxicology report came back negative for any drugs.
Casto added that she called Singh, whose full name is Naindeep Singh Chann, to apologize for any inconvenience caused by the arrest.
She added that the department would reimburse Singh for towing and impounding fees.
THIS IS A LAST STORY. ORIGINAL STORY FOLLOWS BELOW.
At a news conference Tuesday afternoon, Casto supported his officer’s investigation and said Singh’s arrest was “the appropriate action to take in the circumstances.”
“We are not sorry for making a legitimate effort to keep our community safe through traffic enforcement,” Casto said.
FULL VIDEO: Fresno Police Chief Mindy Casto addresses the recent arrest of Fresno City Council District 1 candidate Naindeep Singh.
Singh, who is running for District 1 on the City Council, was arrested Saturday at 11:52 p.m. Singh said he was arrested while observing changes intended to improve security in the Tower District.
RELATED: Fresno City Council Candidate Naindeep Singh Speaks Out on DUI Allegations
Casto confirmed that the Fresno Police motorcycle trooper stopped him for expired registration tags, which dated back to 2020. Singh said his registration was not expired and he renewed it on June 19, 2026. Singh also added that he believed his 2026 tag was stolen.
Casto says a payment was made to the DMV earlier in 2026, but that wasn’t enough to bring the record up to date. Casto added that DMV records show the registration was fully updated on Monday, Oct. 26, a few days after his arrest and before his vehicle was removed from impound.
Casto described the meeting with Singh as polite, respectful and civil. Casto added that the officer didn’t know Singh was a political candidate until later.
According to Casto, Singh failed the horizontal gaze nystagmus vision test, which Casto described as a strong indicator of impairment by alcohol or drugs. The officer then asked Singh to exit his vehicle for additional testing.
Casto says Singh failed six of eight field sobriety tests, but passed a breathalyzer test. Casto added that the officers met the probable cause standard for an arrest.
Police will not release any information about the prescription medications Singh was taking, but Casto says none would have impaired Singh’s ability to perform a field sobriety test.
Casto also said they requested that Singh’s toxicology report be sent out by the independent lab hired to perform the test, but she did not have an estimate on when the test would be completed. She also committed to sharing the results as soon as they become available.
“If Singh’s blood results come back negative, I will be the first, as police chief, to stand here and apologize to him for any inconvenience or embarrassment caused,” Casto said.
The entire encounter was captured on body-worn cameras, but Casto said they would only release the footage after the district attorney’s office made the decision to file charges.
At a news conference outside the Tower Theater on Monday, Singh said he would be fully exonerated.
“I think when law enforcement toxicology comes back, I will be exonerated of all charges,” Singh said.
Supporters at Monday’s event said they would continue to support Singh and also questioned the timing of the arrest.
“A week away from the election should be very suspicious,” said Fresno resident Marvin Nakagawa.
Stay with ABC30 for the latest details on this developing story.
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