There are 137,000 stories in the Royal City, and this is some of them. Looking at a week’s worth of media releases from the Guelph Police Service, there’s a lot gong on in our little city crime-wise speaking, so let’s run down some of the charges, issues, and requests for information from the Guelph Police Service over the last seven days.

***Please note that not all offenses and police calls are reported in the daily Guelph Police media release.

Guy Fawkes Strikes Again (?)

A man wearing a Guy Fawkes mask from the film and graphic novel V For Vendetta pepper sprayed a Guelph couple on Halloween night at their home n the area of Eramosa Road and Callander Drive. At around 8:45 pm, there was a knock on the door, the couple in their 60s answered thinking it was late trick-or-treaters, and they got sprayed. The male resident was taken to the hospital as a precaution. Police are looking for a suspect wearing a black hoodie, black pants, black shoes with white soles and, obviously, a Guy Fawkes mask. He was also carrying a white bag. If you have any information call Detective Constable Kevin Ketteringham at 519-824-1212, ext. 7513, or email him at kketteringham [at] guelphpolice.ca.

Police Arrest Man Behind Indecent Acts

Back in August, a nude man was seen in the areas around Margaret Greene Park, Exhibition Park and Riverside Park where he would approach and talk to women who sometimes had children with them. On Thursday, police arrested a 59-year-old Guelph man with eight counts of committing an indecent act. He will appear in a Guelph court December 17.

Bank Robbery Investigation Underway

At around 12:45 pm on Friday afternoon, a man entered a bank at the corner of Stone Road West and Scottsdale Drive to demand cash while brandishing a gun. He escaped out a broken window at the back and fled on foot with a small amount of cash, and was last seen heading west on Stone. The suspect is described as a white male in his 30s, medium build, wearing a jacket with a hood and long pants. The firearm itself was recovered at the scene. If you have any information, Detective Constable Cameron McKeen at 519-824-1212, ext. 7361, or email him at cmckeen [at] guelphpolice.ca.

Missing Teen Found

Ashley Reeds, a 15-year-old teen who didn’t come home from school on Thursday October 28 sparking a frantic five-day search, has been found safe and sound in another province. Her family was advised of her whereabouts and the police are not releasing any further information about this case.

Assault

After 8 pm on Saturday in front of Paisley Road Public School, police were investigating a rollover collision with two men trapped inside an SUV who had minor injuries. Upon further inquiry, the pair were connected to an assault call nearby where two men kicked down the door of a Willow Road apartment causing $300 worth of damage and assaulting another man without provocation. A 28-year-old Guelph man is charged with impaired operation, dangerous operation, possession of a prohibited weapon and several Highway Traffic Act offences, and his passenger, a 40-year-old Guelph man, was charged with assault and mischief.

Traffic

A major crash shut down the intersection of Woodlawn Road West and Dawson Road for much of the day on Tuesday after a collision where an SUV was hit by a pick-up truck resulting in it jumping the curb and snapping a hydro poll in half. The Cambridge woman that drove the SUV went to the hospital with minor injuries, the driver of the pick-up was charged under the Highway Traffic Act with making an unsafe turn.

A two-vehicle collision at the intersection of Silvercreek Parkway North and Greengate Drive resulted in a 31-year-old Arthur  facing multiple charges after he fled the scene. Police found him later on Willow Road next to his damaged vehicle, which was bought in the summer of 2020 and was never register or insured.

A 28-year-old Cambridge man was picked up for driving erratically when when he left the Manor after last call on Friday morning. He was charged with impaired operation and impaired operation – blood alcohol, and his driver’s licence was automatically suspended for 90 days.

That capped a busy week of impaired driving charges including a near collision with a police vehicle at the Edinburgh Road South watermain break last Saturday morning, another driver that knocked over a stop sign at Gordon Street and Valley Road on Saturday afternoon, and a vehicle being driven down Rickson Avenue with a flat tire early on Sunday morning.

Theft/Break-Ins

A 45-year-old Guelph man went on a shopping spree with stolen credit cards, racking up $1,650 in purchases from six businesses in the north end of the city. The man was charged with theft under $5,000 and two counts of unauthorized use of a credit card.

A downtown business near the intersection of Norfolk Street and Cork Street was found ransacked on Tuesday morning. A computer was taken.

A 41-year-old Guelph woman was arrested for fraud. As an employee for a north end business, she process fake returns and then added the store credit to a gift card with approximately $750.

Over $4,000 in tools and equipment – including a Thinkpad laptop computer, quick-cut saw, hammer drill and various other tools and accessories – was stolen from a construction trailer in the area of Beechwood Avenue and Waterloo Avenue.

More than $40,000 worth of tools and equipment were stolen from another construction site near Watson Parkway North and Eastview Road, including a trailer-mounted generator valued at approximately $38,000. A black Ford pickup was seen in the area at the time and fled when police attempted to pull it over. If you have any information call Detective Constable Syed Ali at 519-824-1212, ext. 7145, email him at sali [at] guelphpolice.ca.

A rock was thrown through the window of a north end business on Woodlawn Road East near Woolwich Street early Tuesday. A man of average height and build wearing a light-coloured hoodie, black jacket, beige or khaki pants and carrying a large black knapsack with yellow or green straps was seen fleeing with a “significant quantity of product.”

A 20-year-old Scarborough man was arrested for stealing $16,000 worth of jewelry from two Guelph businesses in July and October respectively.

Other Notes

A 34-year-old Guelph male was arrested and charged with possessing stolen property over $5,000, breaching probation and two counts of failing to comply with a release order. The charges stem from the discovery of DNA in a stolen 2018 GMC Sierra parked near Imperial Road North and Speedvale Avenue.

Two vehicles were vandalized last week in the area of Victoria Road North and Simmonds Drive as a rock was thrown in the rear window in two different incidents on Monday and Wednesday nights, but it’s unknown if the incidents are related. If you have any info, contact Constable Breanne McDonald at 519-824-1212, ext. 7428, or email her at blmcdonald [at] guelphpolice.ca.

A Honda SUV stolen from a Guelph home in the area of Farley Drive and Clairfields Drive East on October 17 was found in Brant County earlier this week destroyed by fire. The matter is still under investigation.

Police picked up a 45-year-old Guelph woman on Tuesday morning when they received a call about a woman hanging out behind a business on Woodlawn Road West near Imperial Road North, and they discovered that she was wanted for failing to attend court on several property crimes, including theft, possessing stolen property and possessing identity documents. She’ll appear in court this time on December 14.

In another report of an indecent act, this time last month in the south end, it all seems to have been a case of mistaken identity. Police identified the accused man, and after investigation have determined that there is no danger to the community from the man in question.

Total calls for service last week: 1,638

Photos courtesy of the Guelph Police Service.