Man charged in attack on Saskatoon journalist

A 22-year-old Saskatoon man charged in connection with the violent attack on StarPhoenix journalist Bob Florence will be held in custody until his next court appearance on Monday. Charles Robert Elwood was arrested Wednesday evening, just a block from where a badly beaten and unconscious Florence was found almost two months ago. Elwood, who is on parole, is charged with aggravated assault. On Feb. 26, after working an evening shift at The StarPhoenix, Florence left the downtown area and headed home. As usual, the 50-year-old Florence was walking. He has never owned a car, preferring to get around the city by walking or bicycling. Just after midnight, at 12:35 a.m. on Feb. 27, police received a report of an unconscious man in the intersection of 37th Street and Avenue B. Florence suffered a severe head injury and was in an induced coma for about three weeks. Transferred recently from Royal University Hospital to Saskatoon City Hospital, he is now in a rehabilitation program. Florence believes he was a victim of circumstance and not of a targeted attack.