Abduction suspect arrested

A man will be in a St Catharines court today to answer charges that he tried to walk away with a small boy from a Welland mall.

Niagara Regional Police say a stranger took the hand of a five year old boy who was with his mother and father yesterday, shopping in the Zellers at Seaway Mall.

Officers say when the mother saw a man pulling on her son’s hand in an attempt to take him from her, she yelled and the man was caught by the child’s father. Store management escorted the man outside where he fled, but was later arrested.

Steven Hozjan, 44, of Pelham is charged with abduction of a person under 14 years of age.