A 27-year-old man was arrested on multiple felony charges after Fresno police say he approached a 12-year-old girl while she was walking to school Thursday morning.

Officers responded to the area of West Weldon Avenue and North Channing Way regarding reports of a man attempting to speak with the girl, according to the Fresno Police Department.

Police said the girl told officers a Hispanic man driving a navy-blue van pulled alongside her and spoke to her in Spanish, which she did not understand. Investigators said the man then positioned the van in her path, pointed at his cellphone and motioned for her to come closer.

Fearing for her safety, the girl approached the suspect and handed him her cellphone, police said. The suspect allegedly entered his phone number into the device and told the girl he would return at 4 p.m. to pick her up before blowing her a kiss and driving away.

The girl safely made it to school and reported the incident to school officials and police.

Detectives with the Fresno Police Department’s Sexual Assault Unit searched the neighborhood for surveillance footage and witnesses. Investigators also analyzed the victim’s cellphone and, with assistance from the Internet Crimes Against Children team, identified the suspect as Elias Panzo Temoxtle.

Police said Temoxtle was arrested on felony charges including distributing or showing pornography to a minor, annoying a child under 18 and false imprisonment.

He was booked into the Fresno County Jail.

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