Amid chants of “we stand with Deep” from a crowd of more than 100 outside the Tower Theatre on Monday evening, Fresno City Council candidate Naindeep Singh detailed what he said happened Saturday night leading up to his arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs.

Singh said he neither drinks nor does drugs, and he produced independent negative urinalysis tests taken that night that he says corroborate those claims. He said when official results come out, he will be “exonerated.”

But with the election only a week away and official results likely weeks away, according to Fresno police, Singh questioned the timing and circumstances of the arrest, calling for an investigation by the City Council.

“I try to be a serious person. These are serious allegations. And so at this time, I don’t want to speculate about anybody’s motives, but I fully hope that there’s going to be an investigation,” Singh said.

One public defender present at the event who heard Singh’s story told GV Wire the account raised many questions about police procedure.

Fresno City Councilmember Miguel Arias raised concerns about the city attorney going on record on an issue he says falls outside that department’s jurisdiction. He said he will call for an investigation by the City Council.

“I’m going to be bringing this to the attention of my colleagues and seeking an investigation and a review to how it is that a charter official got access, got authority, and proceeded with disclosing information that should have been confidential in nature because it is not within the jurisdictional authority of that charter official,” Arias said.

Singh, a Central Unified trustee and community organizer, is running against State Center Community College District board President Rob Fuentes to replace Annalisa Perea as the District 1 councilmember.

City Attorney’s Job to Respond to Public Requests: Janz

In a statement to GV Wire, communications manager for the city attorney’s office Marcelino Valdez said the office regularly responds to matters of public record, “a requirement under state and federal law.”

“The City Attorney’s Office remains deeply and ethically committed to utmost transparency allowable under the law, regardless of the political season or involved parties,” Valdez said. “Withholding public records would be unethical and wrong.”

Singh on Third Day of Monitoring Tower District Safety

Singh said he had spent the past three days in the Tower District observing the implementation of safety measures following violence in the area and subsequent calls for reforms. On Saturday night, he stayed in the area until about 11:30 p.m., when he decided to go home.

It was then that a motorcycle officer pulled him over on Wishon Avenue as he was turning onto Olive Avenue, he said. Original media reports stated he was pulled over for swerving and having expired tags. Singh told media at the event that he was not swerving. He had a receipt for his DMV registration printed on a sign board for display.

He said police told him they did not have his registration in the system. Singh said he fully cooperated with the officer when he was asked to take a breathalyzer and perform a field sobriety test. The interaction didn’t end there, however. The officer then asked if Singh would be willing to go to Community Regional Medical Center for a blood test.

Singh, who says he neither drinks nor does drugs for religious reasons, said he consented.

“For me, it wasn’t even an issue whether I would comply or not,” Singh said. “I would absolutely show up.”

Wife Told Him to Get Independent Urinalysis

Images of Singh’s urinalysis circulated on social media hours ahead of his news conference. Similarly, social media users and public officials attested to Singh’s claim that he does not drink or do drugs.

Singh said his wife, a medical professional, had first told him he needed to get his own drug test considering the political nature of the event.

Fresno police told GV Wire Monday afternoon that results could take weeks.

Singh said he received a citation for having out-of-date registration tags and for suspicion of DUI.

Arrest Details Raise Many Questions: Public Defender

Attorney Jason Crockford with the Fresno County Public Defender’s Office was present for Singh’s news conference. Acknowledging that he is a Singh supporter, he said there were a lot of details that made him wonder if the arrest was political.

Those questions begin with officers using a drug-related DUI charge.

By charging Singh with a drug-related DUI, Crockford said that indicates to him that police did not consider alcohol a factor. The key difference is that drug tests can test positive for intoxicants long after their effects wear off, days or even weeks. So even a positive drug test would not show that Singh was driving impaired.

“I want to know what objective indicia led this officer to believe not simply that there were drugs in his system, but that those drugs at the time he was driving, impaired his driving,” Crockford said.

Crockford said expired tags do give police a reason to pull someone over, but by Singh’s account, those questions should have been answered relatively quickly.

What’s more, Singh said he passed his breathalyzer and his field sobriety test, leading the officer to ask for his consent for a blood test at the hospital.

The circumstances behind the arrest made Crockford suspicious. He said results don’t have to take weeks.

“I have some concerns about a DUI stop a week before an election that’s based on a drug test,” Crockford said. “In my experience, those drug tests, they go to the (Department of Justice) or they go to a laboratory that the (Fresno Police Department) has. That doesn’t necessarily have to take that long.”

Transparency Versus Election Weaponization

Independent in the Field reporter David Taub originally broke the story with a quote from Janz, who confirmed that Singh had been arrested. Arias, who was present at Singh’s news conference, told GV Wire that a charter official “who does not have authority or jurisdiction over police matters” should not be making comments to the media in that area.

“It also calls into question the checks and balances that we have in the system to ensure that our law enforcement apparatus is not used or abused and weaponized against any political opponents,” Arias said.

Arias said he will request that the council conduct an investigation.

The city attorney works under the authority of the City Council, and Arias said the council previously directed the city attorney and other charter officials not to make public statements without prior authorization.

Valdez, however, said the city attorney’s office regularly provides details to the media, including details about; Larry Torrez, an alleged trespasser who went onto Janz’s property at night with a weapon; about Roberto Corchado, a man killed by Fresno Police Department, and more recently, off-duty ICE agent David Gonzalez.

“An arrest is a matter of public record. Simultaneous with the Fresno Police Department, the City Attorney’s Office confirmed an arrest that occurred within the city’s jurisdiction at the request of public inquiry,” Valdez said.

Tower District Safety at the Forefront: Arias

In addition to preventing the weaponization of a city department during election season, Arias said releasing information could further expose the city to liability. In a separate case involving Fresno Unified, that school district could be facing additional liability for distributing news stories containing false accusations from a trustee that a former Bullard High coach used a racial slur.

If Singh pursued false arrest charges, furthering the story could mean additional legal liability, Arias said.

And with safety in the Tower District at the forefront of public discussion, Arias said anything that sows distrust of police in the community would be a step backward.