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.

Guelph Police Say They’re In Compliance with Vaccine Policy

In a media release on Wednesday, Guelph Police said that they’re within 100 per cent compliance for their COVID-19 Workplace Safety and Vaccination Policy. Now, that does not mean that 100 per cent of the service’s employees are vaccinated, in fact 95 per cent of active members were fully vaccinated as of Wednesday, and that number will reach 96 per cent by December 10.

What about the other four per cent? “Members who are not vaccinated and have not been approved for an exemption must participate on their own time in a COVID-19 education program,” said the release. “They also must provide proof of a negative test taken within 48 hours of the start of their working block and a second test taken during the working block.”

The new policy went into effect on November 1.

Teen Arrests for School Shooting Threat

As previously covered, things were a little tense at College Heights earlier this week when a threat was discovered written on the bathroom wall. One 17-year-old was questioned and released, and another was initially arrested for mischief and uttering threats, but was referred to the the John Howard Society’s pre-charge diversion program instead of laying charges.

Annual RIDE Program Begins

Guelph Police Service and Wellington County OPP officially launched their annual Festive RIDE program on Tuesday with the first official checkpoint at Waterloo Avenue near Wellington Street West. The Guelph Police note that there were 119 arrests for impaired driving in 2020, and with one month left to go in 2021, they have already arrested the same number of people for impaired driving as of this past Wednesday. The increased RIDE spot checks will remain in effect until early January.

Assault

A 15-year-old was charged with assault with a weapon, mischief and uttering threats after they allegedly smashed a glass over the head of a PSW and threatened here with a knife. Officers were able to deescalate the situation, took the teen into custody, and took the PSW to the hospital.

Traffic

Police are looking for a driver that nearly struck a parked cruiser in a parking lot on Silvercreek Parkway South around 1 am on Thursday. The licence plates did not match the vehicle, but the police couldn’t pursue due to safety concerns around a potential high-speed chase.

In another incident, a stolen pick-up truck actually did hit the front of a police cruiser in a parking lot on Speedvale Avenue East. If you have any information, call Constable Derren Gould at 519-824-1212, ext. 7056, or email him at dgould [at] guelphpolice.ca.

A 43-year-old Guelph woman charged with impaired operation on Tuesday evening after she was spotted driving erratically on Eastview Road, driving approximately 25 kilometres per hour in a 60 zone, swerving within its lane and braking for no reason.

A 24-year-old Waterloo man was charged with impaired operation and driving without a valid insurance card after a single-vehicle collision downtown last Sunday. The man said he was driving his father’s vehicle, which he ended up mounting a curb and striking a light pole at Norfolk Street and Cork Street East.

Two Guelph men, aged 33 and 28, plus a 22-year-old Guelph woman, are facing various charges including occupying a stolen motor vehicle, possessing stolen property over $5,000 and breaching court orders. All three were taken into custody after police sat on one of two stolen cars from Fergus that was tracked through a cell phone left in the vehicle.

Theft/Break-Ins

A 52-year-old Guelph man was charged with theft under $5,000 and failing to comply with a release order after being caught breaking into a vehicle on Cardigan Street.

A 28-year-old Guelph man was charged with breach of and undertaking and breach of probation after getting caught inside in a downtown business where he had been prohibited twice from entering.

A 22-year-old Brantford man was charged with a second count of break and enter, plus an additional charge of possession of stolen property. The man broke into one downtown church last week, and was found inside a second church on Monday morning. He was sleeping in the kitchen, and found in possessions of some church property.

Another business was targeted for the theft of catalytic converters from their work vehicles. Converters were stolen from two work vans at a business on Woodlawn Road West near Royal Road sometime overnight on Thursday, and the theft was discovered on Friday. Over $18,000 damage was done to the vans. If you have any information, call Constable Ryan Horvat at 519-824-1212, ext. 7485, or email him at rhorvat [at] guelphpolice.ca.

Police are looking for a man wearing a brown winter coat, khaki pants, a grey toque and black shoes with white soles, last seen riding a bike and carrying three duffel bags filled with about $4,000 worth of tools. The tools were stolen from a business on Speedvale Avenue East near Eramosa Road Monday afternoon. If you have any information, call Constable Anna-Maria DePaepe at 519-824-1212, ext. 7195, or email her at adepaepe [at] guelphpolice.ca.

A Guelph man ended up at the hospital after trying to stop someone from staling his car. The vehicle is a silver 2017 four-door Subaru Impreza STI and it was last seen heading southbound on Victoria Road. The suspect is a white man with a thin build wearing a dark t-shirt with a large white logo on the front and a baseball cap. Police are also looking for a second suspect who left the scene in a small dark-coloured four-door car. If you have any information, call Constable Stephen Gawlik at 519-824-1212, ext. 7509, or email him at sgawlik [at] guelphpolice.ca.

Other Notes

Last weekend, a 13-year-old girl reported missing for over 24 hours was found safe and sound after a community call for assistance.

A 40-year-old Guelph man was charged with failing to appear in court after officers on patrol in the area of Woodlawn Road West and Woolwich Street spotted the man and recognized him as someone wanted by police.

A 19-year-old Prescott man was charged with carrying a concealed weapon and two counts of breaching probation on Thursday after two different people in the area of Edinburgh Road South and Water Street reported a man trying to hitchhike while carrying a concealed knife up his sleeve.

A 40-year-old Guelph man was charged with assault, possessing a controlled substance and failing to comply with an undertaking, and a 37-year-old Guelph woman was charged with possessing a controlled substance and failing to comply with an undertaking after police were called to a disturbance at a north end hotel on Imperial Road. A woman had reported being assaulted, and when the police got inside the room they found a syringe loaded with fentanyl on top of a dresser. She was taken to the hospital for assessment.

Total calls for service last week: 1,426