A decision to file charges against Fresno City Council candidate Naindeep Singh for an alleged DUI may not be made until after the Nov 3 election, according to the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office.<\/p>\n
Singh was arrested Saturday on suspicion of driving under the influence of a drug, an accusation disputed by Singh’s supporters.<\/p>\n
Fresno police said Singh’s blood was tested, but the results of that toxicology report could take up to three weeks, said Taylor Long, a spokesperson for the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office.<\/p>\n
“Until the investigative reports and supplemental information is completed by the lab and then submitted by Fresno PD to our office for review, it’s too early to comment on any potential filing decision,” Long said.<\/p>\n
The 48-year-old Singh, executive director of the Jakara Movement, is locked in a tight race for the Fresno City Council District 1 seat against Rob Fuentes, a former federal prosecutor.<\/p>\n
Singh’s supporters say they don’t believe he did anything wrong and question the timing of his arrest with a week to go before the election.<\/p>\n
“I have known Deep for years, and I have never known him to use drugs or alcohol and I have never seen him intoxicated,” said Kiel Thomas Lopez-Schmidt<\/a>, longtime Tower District resident and executive director of South Tower Community Land Trust. “He cares deeply about our community.”<\/p>\n Lopez-Schmidt is also concerned that the recent increase in police presence in the Tower<\/a> District may have contributed to a hypervigilant awareness by police.<\/p>\n