Fresno man arrested after blocking girl on way to school
A 12-year-old walking to school said a man in a navy-blue van blocked her path, asked for her phone and promised to return at 4 p.m. Police arrested him that evening.
A 12-year-old’s walk to school in central Fresno turned into a felony case Thursday when police say a man in a navy-blue van blocked her path, took her phone number and told her he would come back at 4 p.m. to pick her up.
Fresno police identified the suspect as 27-year-old Elias Panzo Temoxtle, who was arrested Thursday evening and booked into the Fresno County Jail. Investigators said the encounter happened near West Weldon Avenue and North Channing Way as the girl was walking to school.
Police said Temoxtle pulled alongside the girl, spoke to her in Spanish, and used his vehicle to stop her movement. The girl told officers she did not understand the Spanish being spoken to her. She said she feared for her safety, walked up to the van and handed over her phone when he motioned for her to come closer and pointed at his cellphone.
Investigators said Temoxtle entered his phone number into the device, told the girl he would return at 4 p.m. to pick her up, and blew her a kiss before leaving. The girl made it safely to school and reported what happened to school officials and police.
Detectives with the Fresno Police Department’s Sexual Assault Unit searched for surveillance video and witnesses in the neighborhood and analyzed the girl’s phone. With help from the Internet Crimes Against Children team and law-enforcement databases, investigators identified Temoxtle as the suspect.
He was arrested on several felony charges, including distributing or showing pornography to a minor, annoying a child under 18 and false imprisonment. Under California law, false imprisonment is the unlawful violation of another person’s liberty. California Penal Code 647.6 is generally punishable by up to a year in county jail and a fine of up to $5,000, and Penal Code 311.2 can be charged as a felony when obscene matter depicting a person under 18 is distributed or exhibited in certain circumstances.
The case ran through Fresno Police Department’s Family Justice Bureau, which includes the Sexual Assault Unit, the Domestic Violence Unit, the Child Abuse/Missing Persons Unit and the Financial Crimes/Elder Abuse Unit. Fresno Unified School District says its Office of Safety and Security works to ensure a safe working and learning environment for staff and students.
The arrest also comes amid broader child-exploitation enforcement in Fresno County. The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office has said its Central California Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force receives thousands of CyberTip reports each year, and a December 2025 undercover operation led to 21 arrests of suspected sexual predators ages 21 to 66.
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