Bryan Griffaw, 41, of Barnhart was being held this afternoon (Jan. 22) at the Jefferson County Jail on a $25,000 cash bond, two days after he allegedly tried to abduct a 4-year-old boy from the Schnucks parking lot, 3900 Vogel Road, in Arnold.
At about 9:30 a.m. Monday (Jan. 20), a woman was shopping in the store with her two children and encountered Griffaw, a stranger, Arnold Police Chief Bob Shockey.
Griffaw “patted her rear end and patted her kid (the boy),” Arnold Police Chief Bob Shockey said. “They kept crossing paths (in the store).”
After the woman left the store, Griffaw reportedly followed her onto the parking lot, and while the woman was putting her 3-month old in a car seat, Griffaw allegedly “grabbed the 4-year-old by his coat,” Shockey said.
Griffaw allegedly tried to lead the boy away, but the mom “grabbed him back and screamed,” and Griffaw ran away, Shockey said.
Some bystanders came to the woman’s aid and called police, who were nearby and found Griffaw at Eagle Bank, 3944 Vogel Road, Shockey said.
Griffaw had left his vehicle at the Schnucks parking lot to run away, Shockey added.
The Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney's Office charged Griffaw Tuesday (Jan. 21) with child kidnapping, a class A felony, and third-degree assault, a class C misdemeanor, court records show.
The kidnapping charge is punishable by 10 to 30 years or life in prison, and the misdemeanor carries a penalty up to 15 days.