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.

Police Still Investigating Threats

Guelph Police are reporting again that they’re investigating the threats reported in a social media video and that they’ve been in touch with the person behind the video and are investigating. They also said that local police are “aware of protestors whose focus has been on members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community in other parts of the province, but are not aware of any other such protests reported in Guelph.”

“While freedom of speech and the right to protest are fully recognized by the Guelph Police Service it is important that everyone recognizes that threats, intimidation and harassment of a criminal nature are not acceptable by law and will not be tolerated in our community; particularly those rooted in discrimination,” said the police press release. “We will fully investigate any such reports.”

Anyone with any information about this or other hate crimes is encouraged to call hate crimes coordinator Detective Constable Jagdeep Atwal at 519-824-1212, ext. 7436, or email him at jatwal [at] guelphpolice.ca.

Assault

A 20-year-old Guelph woman was charged with theft, assault with a weapon and assault police after hitting a store employee who was trying to stop her from shoplifting last Saturday at 10 am. The woman was located a short distance away by police, and when they tried to arrest her, she stuck an officer in the mouth.

A 69-year-old Guelph man was charged with assault and assault police after he spat on a woman in St. George’s Square Wednesday afternoon, and then spat in the eyes of an officer who responded to the disturbance.

A 33-year-old Guelph man was charged with assault with a weapon, possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose, theft, obstruct police and two counts of breaching probation. On Tuesday afternoon, a loss prevention officer at a Woodlawn West store saw a man try and leave without paying for a product when a fight ensued. The suspect drew a folding knife and brandished it at the employee.

A 40-year-old Guelph woman was charged with possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose, uttering threats and three counts of breaching court orders after police were called to a Guelph Transit bus in the area of Willow and Westwood. Two women known to each other became involved in a verbal dispute, during which one brandished a pocket knife, opened it and pointed it at the other female while threatening to stab her. Another passenger disarmed her.

Break-Ins

Nothing to report this week.

Drugs

Nothing to report this week.

Fraud

Police have released another warning about grandparent scams a 90-year-old woman lost $8,000 who was told her grandson needed bail after police discovered drugs in his car following a traffic stop. A suspect came to the woman’s house to collect the money. He’s described as a white male, approximately 5’5” in his late 20s. He was wearing a long black coat, black pants and a black purse-style bag with a flap, and he may have left the scene in a white pick-up. If you have any information, call Constable Tyler Galea at 519-824-1212, ext. 7285, or email him at tgalea [at] guelphpolice.ca.

Theft

Those Magic: The Gathering cards pictured above, are they yours? Police found them in a stolen car last weekend. If you recognize the cards, call Constable Carson Skipper at 519-824-1212, ext. 7283, or email him at cskipper [at] guelphpolice.ca.

A 32-year-old Guelph woman was charged with possessing stolen property over $5,000, being an occupant in a stolen vehicle and obstruct police. A black Infiniti SUV was involved in a single-vehicle collision in front of a Grove Street home at 6 am on Sunday.

Traffic

A 42-year-old Guelph man was charged with impaired operation, driving while suspended and several other Highway Traffic Act offences, and his driver’s licence was suspended for 90 days after driving through Guelph Central Station. He was showing signs of impairment and was found with open can of beer in the car.

A 53-year-old Guelph woman was charged with impaired operation, and her driver’s licence was suspended for 90 days after a single vehicle collision on Edinburgh Road near Laurelwood on Wednesday night. The driver was found passed out behind the wheel, and when tested, she had three-times the legal amount of alcohol in her system.

Last Friday evening, Guelph Police did their first Festive RIDE spot check. Approximately 600 motorists were checked, 17 roadside tests were conducted, and three drivers were arrested for the criminal offence of Impaired Operation-80 plus. Provincial Offence Notices were also issued for failing to wear a seat belt, expired licence plate validation and cannabis accessible to the driver as well as one notice of suspension was served.

RIDE checks will be done from now until after the New Year, and police remind everyone that having any alcohol or controlled substance in your system when operating a motor vehicle is a bad idea.

Other Notes

Four men and two women, ranging in age from 14 to 17 and all from either Hamilton or Niagara, were charged with possessing stolen property over $5,000 after the six rammed a Guelph Police cruiser in a stolen car. At 2 am on Thursday, there was a report of people going through cars in the area of Harts Land and Bathgate when officers came across a 2022 Ford Explorer SUV  reported stolen last month in the Niagara Region. The teens were trying to get away when they hit the police car. A 16-year-old Hamilton man was also charged with dangerous driving, flight from police and three counts of breaching court order

Total calls for service Wednesday and Thursday: 487

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.