What's at stake?
Fresno City Council candidate Naindeep Singh is calling on the state’s attorney general to investigate the circumstances regarding his arrest last month.
The news comes as Fresno City Attorney Andrew Janz remains silent on releasing public records related to Singh’s arrest.
Fresno City Council candidate Naindeep Singh on Monday demanded California Attorney General Rob Bonta investigate the circumstances surrounding his recent “false arrest,” and its fast leak that landed news of the arrest in a local community blog.
“The reasons why these questions need to be answered, is because the circumstances that we currently have before us are strongly suggestive of election interference,” said Kevin Little, an attorney representing Singh, at Monday’s news conference.
Singh, 48, was arrested Oct. 24 and briefly detained on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs. But police quickly walked back the arrest just days later after preliminary toxicology reports confirmed Singh’s own independent test results showing no drugs in his system.
Police Chief Mindy Casto even issued a rare public apology for the arrest of one of the loudest police critics just 10 days before the polls close in his city council race. Despite the apology, Casto has stood by the officers, saying there was no political or racial motives behind the bad and now quashed arrest.
But Singh’s supporters and longtime Fresno police critics say they want more than promises. They want to see the body-camera footage, which police — including the chief – have said could be released. However, the Fresno City Attorney’s Office has refused to release the footage, citing an “ongoing investigation” into a case the police chief says is closed.
City Attorney Andrew Janz’s office has not commented on the disconnect between his office and the police department. The City Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to followup questions about the footage or said when it might be released.
On Monday, Singh and Little said they are currently not planning on launching a lawsuit against the City of Fresno, instead saying that they would wait on an “independent investigation,” which they defined as one not conducted by a local law firm or a legal agency paid for by Fresno City Hall.
Even if Bonta’s office takes up Singh’s request, the timing of the Monday news conference makes it virtually impossible for the state to initiate its investigation before polls close on Tuesday.
This is a developing story. Please return later for updates.
