Fresno woman arrested after child abuse, domestic disturbance investigation

Fresno police turned a domestic disturbance into a child-abuse case after officers forced their way into a Fresno home and found 39-year-old Johnna Slater locked in a master bedroom with two children, ages 11 and 3, while another child had already been interviewed outside the house.

Officers were sent to the residence around 1 a.m. Monday, May 25, 2026, after reports of a family fight. Police said they first spoke with a 13-year-old victim and another victim at the home, both of whom accused Slater of assaulting them inside. The victims told officers Slater punched one person in the face, scratched and struck another during the altercation, then later hit one of the victims multiple times with a metal toy stroller outside the residence.

Police said Slater appeared to be under the influence of alcohol and refused lawful commands for about 15 minutes. Because officers believed the children inside could be in immediate danger, they forced entry. Slater was found in a locked master bedroom with the 11-year-old and 3-year-old children and was taken into custody without incident after continued refusal to cooperate.

She was booked into the Fresno County Jail on suspicion of child abuse with possible great bodily injury, child abuse without great bodily injury, battery, and resisting, delaying or obstructing a peace officer. Police said they could not confirm Slater’s relationship to the children because of the nature of the case.

The arrest sets off more than a criminal case. In California, child welfare services are handled by the state’s 58 counties, and county child-protective workers are the primary public agency that follows up when children may be at risk. The state says Child Protective Services aims to keep children in the home when it is safe to do so and to move quickly to an alternate plan when they are not safe.

In Fresno County, child-protection concerns also fall under a broader prevention network that includes the Fresno Council on Child Abuse Prevention, which the county identifies as its Child Abuse Prevention Council. County officials note that April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month, and kidsdata.org has reported Fresno County’s rate of child abuse and neglect at 61.3 per 1,000 children ages 0-17 in 2020, compared with 43.5 per 1,000 statewide.