NEWINGTON, Conn. -- Police said a 70-year-old man pretended to be a police officer in an attempt to lure a boy from the electronics department at a Newington WalMart.

Martin Spelas, of West Hartford, was arrested Thursday evening on charges of impersonation of a police officer and risk of injury to a minor.

Police said Spelas identified himself as an officer to a 10-year-old boy at the WalMart on the Berlin Turnpike at about 7:30 p.m. They said the boy was playing a video game int he store and Spelas told the boy he needed to go with him because he needed help with a television.

Police said the boy walked away from Spelas to his mother. The boy's mother confronted Spelas and called police, officers said.

Police said Spelas admitted to police that he told the boy he was an officer and needed help with a television.

He was released on a $25,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in New Britain Superior Court on Nov. 19.