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.

New BEAT Team Makes a Big Bust

On Wednesday, the Guelph Police’s new Break Enter Auto Theft (BEAT) Unit executed a search warrant on a downtown apartment building, seizing a modified firearm and other weapons, plus $6,000 worth of drugs, a quantity of cash, and several items of stolen property (see above). Two Guelph males, aged 30 and 34, and a 40-year-old Guelph female face several charges including possessing a firearm and possessing controlled substances for the purpose of trafficking. The investigation is ongoing.

In addition to those three arrests, a fourth person turned themselves into police on Thursday. A 47-year-old Guelph man was charged with several weapons offences as well as possessing stolen property. “We are pleased to see that the new BEAT team is already making a positive impact and increasing public safety in our community,” said Investigative Services Staff Sergeant Ben Bair in a statement. “Stolen property offences are often linked to drug trafficking and firearms. The new BEAT team is playing an integral part in promoting community safety with their investigations.”

Busy Week for BEAT

The BEAT Unit also made a significant arrest on Monday after a Lexus SUV was stolen from a Guelph residence. After a brief chase with the police, the Lexus was found in an underground parking lot and they were able to identify a suspect who was arrested when he came back to pick up the car. When the suspect was searched, police found approximately $4,000 worth of fentanyl and crystal methamphetamine, $2,000 cash, drug paraphernalia and a concealed knife.

A 28-year-old Guelph man was charged with motor vehicle theft, possession of stolen property over $5,000, two counts of possession of controlled substances for the purposes of trafficking, carry a concealed weapon, five counts of drive disqualified and breaches of court orders.

Key Stolen Right Out of the Lockbox

Early on Wednesday morning a lockbox containing the key to a business in the area of Gordon Street and Waterloo Avenue was pried off using a metal bar, the perpetrators then smashed the lockbox and stole the key.

Police are looking for three suspects. The first suspect is described as a white male with shoulder-length brown hair and wearing a white winter coat, dark pants, a backpack, ball cap and red mask. The second was white, wearing a green coat with a white stripe across the torso, a backpack and blue and white shoes. The third suspect was white, possibly female, wearing a black winter coat with fur hood and black Nike running shoes.

If you have any information about the break-in, call Constable Christian Godin at 519-824-1212, ext. 7288, email him at cgodin [at] guelphpolice.ca.

Assault

A 14-year-old Guelph woman was charged with aggravated assault and assault with a weapon after an altercation with another teen last Friday afternoon. A verbal dispute turned into a stabbing, and the 16-year-old victim took a hit in the shoulder, she was transported to an out-of-region trauma centre for treatment, and is back home recovering.

A 26-year-old Guelph man was charged with assault with a weapon on Tuesday after he assaulted another man with an angle grinder. The victim was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

A 33-year-old Guelph man was charged with assault with a weapon and assault causing bodily harm, and a 28-year-old Guelph woman was charged with assault in relation to a hammer attack last month. A man was stopped by police on Speedvale Avenue East who reported that he had been attacked by two people, one of whom was armed with a hammer.

Theft/Break-Ins

Someone attempted to break into a business in the area of Waterloo Avenue and Essex Street sometime overnight on Tuesday by trying to drill the lock on the front door. They were unsuccessful at gaining entry. If you have any information call Constable Robert Smith at 519-824-1212, ext. 7388, email him at rsmith [at] guelphpolice.ca.

A 26-year-old Guelph woman was charged with eight counts of fraud under $5,000 for allegedly switching price tags on merchandise at the Eramosa Road store where she worked.

A construction trailer at a site near Arthur Street South and Elizabeth Street was broken into sometime late on Thursday or early Friday, about $1,999 worth of equipment including an infrared camera, orbital grinder and Dewalt multi-tool were stolen. If you have any information call Constable Stephen Gawlik at 519-824-1212, ext. 7509, or email him at sgawlik [at] guelphpolice.ca.

A quantity of Milwaukee tools and batteries were stolen from a shed in the area of Stephanie Drive and Pinnacle Crescent overnight on Wednesday. Anyone with information can call Constable Graeme Adams at 519-824-1212, ext. 7419, or email him at gadams [at] guelphpolice.ca.

A 38-year-old Guelph man was arrested for break, enter and commit theft after being tied through DNA to a November 2021 theft of $17,000 worth of items including electronics, cash and gift cards from a downtown business.

Over $5,000 worth of tools were stolen last week from a condo building under construction at Gordon Street near Lowes Road West sometime overnight on Thursday. If you have any information call Constable Brett Nymeyer at 519-824-1212, ext. 7227, or email him at bnymeyer [at] guelphpolice.ca.

Traffic

A 24-year-old Guelph man was charged with careless driving, failing to provide information following a collision and driving without insurance after a collision on Woodlawn Road on Wednesday afternoon. The man sideswiped another car and then fled the scene.

A 29-year-old Guelph man whose driving privileges were already suspended  was stopped while driving early on Wednesday morning in the area of College Avenue and Scottsdale.

Other Notes

A 50-year-old man was found dead in a vehicle last Friday morning in the area of York Road and Waterworks Place. No foul play is suspected.

A 28-year-old Woodstock man was arrested Thursday in connection to the theft of $11,0000 worth of appliances from a condo building near Gordon and Clair in November and December.

A 38-year-old Guelph man was charged with theft, possessing stolen property, possessing an identity document and using a stolen credit card. Last Saturday night, police responded to a plaza at Speedvale Avenue and Stevenson where someone reported that their backpack had been stolen from their vehicle, and that he had spotted someone walking nearby wearing it. When police stopped and searched the suspect, they found a credit card belonging to a second victim.

Guelph Police were able to recover an unoccupied Ford F-150 and trailer in the area of Applewood Crescent and Sunset Road. The truck was stolen from somewhere outside of Guelph, and was returned to the owner, but the person that drove the truck to Guelph got away. If you have any information call Constable Kent Schneider at 519-824-1212, ext. 7164, or email him at kschneider [at] guelphpolice.ca.

Total calls for service last week: 1,311

If you have any information about the crimes or incidents mentioned above, you can also call Guelph Wellington Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or post online at csgw.tips.