Candidate Naindeep Singh cleared by toxicology report, Chief Mindy Casto apologizes for arrest

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — BREAKING: Fresno Police Chief Mindy Casto announced Tuesday night that the toxicology report on Fresno City Council candidate Naindeep Singh has come back negative for any drugs.

Casto added that she called Singh, whose full name is Naindeep Singh Chann, to apologize to him for any inconvenience the arrest caused.

She added that the department would refund towing and impound fees charged to Singh.

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During a news conference Tuesday afternoon, Casto stood by her officer’s investigation and said the arrest of Singh was “the appropriate action to take under the circumstances.”

“We are not sorry for making a legitimate effort to keep our community safe through traffic enforcement,” Casto said.

Singh, who is running for District 1 on City Council, was pulled over at 11:52 p.m. Saturday. Singh says he was pulled over while observing changes meant to improve safety in the Tower District.

RELATED: Fresno City Council candidate Naindeep Singh speaks out over DUI allegation

Casto confirmed the Fresno Police motorcycle officer pulled him over for expired registration tags, which were dated back to 2020. Singh says his registration was not expired and he renewed it on June 19, 2026. Singh also added he believed his 2026 tag was stolen.

Casto says a payment was made to the DMV earlier in 2026, but it was not enough to bring the registration fully current. Casto added that DMV records show the registration was fully brought up to date on Monday, Oct. 26, days after his arrest and before his vehicle was taken out of impound.

Casto described the encounter with Singh as polite, respectful and civil. Casto added that the officer did not know Singh was a political candidate until later.

According to Casto, Singh failed the horizontal gaze nystagmus eye exam, which Casto described as a strong indicator of impairment from alcohol or drugs. The officer then asked Singh to step out of his vehicle for additional tests.

Casto says Singh failed six of eight field sobriety tests but passed a breathalyzer test. Casto added officers had met the probable cause standard for an arrest.

Police will not release information about any prescription medication Singh was taking, but Casto claims none would have impaired Singh’s ability to perform a field sobriety test.

Casto also said they have requested that Singh’s toxicology report be expedited from the independent lab contracted to perform the test, however she didn’t have an estimate on when the test will be completed. She also committed to sharing the results as soon as they are available.

“If (Singh’s) blood results return negative, I will be the first one as your police chief to stand here and apologize to him for any inconvenience or any embarrassment caused,” Casto said.

The entire encounter was captured on body-worn cameras but Casto said they will not release the footage until after the district attorney’s office makes a decision on filing charges.

On Monday, during a news conference in front of the Tower Theatre, Singh said he would be fully exonerated.

“I expect when law enforcement’s toxicology comes back, I will be exonerated from all charges,” said Singh.

Supporters at Monday’s event said they would continue to support Singh and also questioned the timing of the arrest.

“One week outside of the election should be very suspicious,” Fresno resident Marvin Nakagawa said.

Stay with ABC30 for the latest details on this developing story.

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