There are 145,000 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 going 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.

Fight Leads to Arrest on Long List of Charges

On Wednesday morning, one man threatened to smash another man’s car window and put sugar in his gas tank at a residence near Speedvale and Silvercreek. Police found the first man a short time later at the intersection of Willow and Silvercreek, but he sped off at a high rate of speed. Police were able to catch up with him later outside another nearby residence, and they not only discovered that he was driving with a suspended license but he was currently wanted on three separate warrants.

So, along with previous charges Dangerous Operation, Flight From Peace Officer, Failure To Appear In Court, Theft Of A Motor Vehicle, Possession Of Stolen Property Over $5,000, and Drive While Under Suspension, a 32-year-old Brampton man was further charged with Utter Threats To Damage Property, Flight From Peace Officer, Dangerous Operation, Failure To Comply With Undertaking (x2), Failure To Appear In Court (x2), and Driving While Under Suspension.

Beware Grandparent and Emergency Scams!

The Guelph Police Service is asking residents to be hyper aware of scams that target grandparents in particular where a scammer will pose as law enforcement and contact seniors or family members claiming that their grandchild or loved one is involved in an accident, and/or charged with a criminal offence such as an impaired driving or drug related offences. The victim will then be asked to send cash in the mail, wire money, or send active gift cards so that their loved one avoids jail or a steep fine.

How the scam operates:

• Scammers often target seniors who have telephone landlines. They often obtain information from social media, the dark net, or data breaches.
• Scammers claiming to be relatives may alter their voice, claiming to have been injured and requesting assistance.
• The scammers will quickly hand the call to another scammer pretending to be a law enforcement official or a lawyer to create a sense of panic, often pertaining to a collision with injuries, or discovery of drugs and guns in a motor vehicle.
• Fake couriers are dispatched to attend the victim’s residence to obtain the funds. Victims are instructed to place the funds in envelopes, to be handed over to the courier upon their arrival. In addition, many vehicles associated to the scams have been found to have Quebec licence plates.
• Victims are requested to ship the funds through actual courier companies. Victims are instructed to place cash in magazines, teddy bears and shoes boxes to avoid suspicion from courier companies.
• Victims are instructed to send funds via direct deposit, wire transfer or via active gift cards.
• The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre has determined that a large volume of funds are being couriered to locations within the Greater Montreal area, often to empty houses, vacant lots, businesses, churches, or rental properties.

What you can do:

• Hang up the phone and call or contact the person yourself.
• Never send money to people you don’t know or trust.
• Call your loved one’s parents and friends to figure out their whereabouts.
• Take time to verify their story.
• Call the police and provide them with the information if you are unsure.
• If money is transferred via fake courier, please note the vehicle and license plate if possible, and description of person picking up the funds.
• Ask the caller questions only your loved one could answer.
• Never give out personal information to callers.
• Please also seek advice from a family member, co-worker, trusted friend, or the Guelph Police Service at 519-824-1212 before following through on instructions received from a person that you don’t know.

Assault

A 15-year-old Guelph woman was charged with Assault and Fail To Comply With Undertaking after apparently trying to pick a fight with another woman who was inside a ride share. When insults didn’t work, the suspect slapped and kicked the car, and when the adult driver got out, the suspect punched him in the head. The suspected turned herself in the next day at police headquarters.

On Wednesday morning, a woman was out walking her dog near Grange and Stevenson when a man grabbed her by the collar, pushed her into a nearby light post and punched her dog on the back just below its head. The suspect is described as 20 years old with black/dark brown should length hair, and droopy eyes. He was unsteady on his feet, wearing a hoodie with red/yellow horizontal stripes, a black hood and a small lion logo on the back, and purple shoes. If you have any information, call Constable Erik Ugarte-Bravo at 519-824-1212 ext. 7365, or email him at eugarte-bravo [at] guelphpolice.ca.

Break-Ins

Some personal documents, bank cards and a backpack containing $50 cash were all stolen from a car parked outside a home near London and Woolwich on Tuesday morning. The suspect gained access by breaking a window with a rock. If you have any information, call Constable Emily Dietrich at 519-824-1212 ext. 7265, email her at edietrich [at] guelphpolice.ca.

Theft

A blue 2021 Land Rover Range Rover Sport was taken from the driveway of a residence near Victoria and Clair sometime between 7 pm last Friday and 2 am last Saturday. If you have any information, call Special Constable Tim Jotham at 519-824-1212 ext. 7184, or email him at tjotham [at] guelphpolice.ca.

An orange and black 2017 Honda CVR motorcycle was taken from outside a house at Willow and Silvercreek sometime between 7 and 9:30 am on Sunday. If you have any information, call Special Constable Thomas Randell at 519-824-1212 ext. 7194, or email him at trandell [at] guelphpolice.ca.

A 40-year-old Guelph man was charged with Theft Under $5,000, Utter Threats To Cause Bodily Harm, and Breach Probation after shoplifting $50.58 in food from a store at Eramosa and Stevenson, during the course of which he threatened to pepper spray the loss prevention officer.

Two women stole over $100 worth of cosmetics from a store on Woolwich and Woodlawn Thursday night. The first suspect, a 19-year-old Guelph woman, was later found and arrested downtown, but police are still looking for another woman described as white with long brown/blonde hair with pink, and wearing a black tank top, camo pants and white shoes. If you have any information, call Constable Kyle Winters at 519-824-1212 ext. 7387, or email him at kwinters [at] guelphpolice.ca.

A 29-year-old Guelph man has been charged with four counts of Theft Under $5,000 after a string of shoplifting incidents since the end of June. Each incident was less than $30, but it involved the suspect inserting a debit card to pay for the items and then leaving before the transaction was completed.

Police are looking for two people that entered a store just outside downtown on Tuesday afternoon and stole $250 worth of clothing. Police are looking for a while male in his mid 30s wearing a black Reebok sweatshirt and black Nike baseball hat, and carrying a black duffle bag. They’re also looking for a white female, also in her mid 30s, with blonde or reddish hair wearing a beige shirt and grey leggings and carrying a blue Walmart bag. If you have an information call Constable Ryan Lue at 519-824-1212 ext. 7395, or email him at rlue [at] guelphpolice.ca.

Traffic

A 26-year-old Guelph man was charged under the Highway Traffic Act with Insecure Load on Saturday night after police stopped him at the corner of Victoria and College with a, well,  an insecure load. The driver and a passenger were both holding on to the edges of a bed sheet covering a mattress and box spring that was on the roof of the car. (See the picture at the top of the article.)

A 29-year-old Guelph male has been charged with Impaired Operation Of A Conveyance, and Operation Of A Conveyance – Blood Alcohol Concentration 80 Plus after being stopped by police just after midnight on Sunday. He was driving along Gordon near Kortright travelling 30 kilometres per hour and weaving in and out of the lane.

A 41-year-old Guelph man was charged with Stunt Driving and Speeding for doing 112 kilometres per hour in a 50 zone on Saturday morning on Victoria between Elizabeth and York.

Included in most of the media releases from the last week was a warning from police about local traffic concerns. From Monday to Thursday there were 18 driving complaints and 12 motor vehicle collisions in the city. “The Guelph Police Service would like to encourage the public to slow down and follow the rules of the road to help ensure everyone arrives to their destination safely,” the release said.

Other Notes

A 33-year-old Guelph man has been charged with Mischief Under $5,000 for burning part of an ATM with a lighter and making it inoperable back on June 15.

The rear door of a business near Edinburgh and College was spray painted at around 12:20 am on Monday morning. If you have any information call Constable Kyle Sanson at 519-824-1212, or email him at ksanson [at] guelphpolice.ca.

A 26-year-old Guelph woman was charged for Fail To Attend Court for the third time after she turned up at police headquarters of her own volition.

A call about a man with a large tree limb hanging around in a parking lot at Woolwich and Speedvale turned out to be wanted for failing to appear in court. Police arrested a 29-year-old Guelph man with Fail To Attend Court, Fail To Re-Attend Court and Mischief Under $5,000.

A 59-year-old Guelph man was charged with Breach Probation, Fail To Attend Court, Fail To Comply With Release Order, and Fail To Comply With Undertaking after police received reports of a man starting a small fire in a wooded area near Dawson and Woodlawn.

Last Friday, police arrested a man who was walking along Speedvale near Woolwich, and then ran when he saw the police. The reaction was understandable because he had some shoplifted goods and a glass-breaking instrument on his person, and on top of that, he had failed to attend court on a wide variety of charges including theft, mischief and breach of probation. This time, he was charged with Fail To Attend Court, Possession Of Property Obtained By Crime, Theft Under $5,000, and Possession Of Break-In Instrument.

Total calls for service last week: 1,477

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.