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 Warn of Fake Taxi Scheme

Police are warning about a fake taxi scam after a pair of incidents last Saturday. At 7:30 pm, a Fergus man was approached outside a business on Woodlawn Road by a man who said he was attempting to take a taxi but only had cash and the driver was demanding to be paid with a card. The victim agreed to help him out, paid the tab with his debit card and was given $10 cash for his trouble. When the victim attempted to use his debit card an hour later he discovered that he had been given back a different card, and after checking his bank account, he discovered more than $950 in fraudulent transactions had been taken.

Later that same night at 11:15, another woman reported a similar experience this time with two men. The woman realized pretty quickly that she had been given a fake card, and cancelled her debit card before the thieves were able to used it.

The “customer” is described as a white male, 6 feet and wearing a blue jacket with a fur hood in the first incident and a hoodie in the second. The “driver” is described as a possibly Indian male in his 50s. They were in a white or silver Toyota Camry with a taxi sign on the roof but no other markings. If you have any information, call Constable Kyle Sanson at 519-824-1212, ext. 7539, email him at ksanson [at] guelphpolice.ca.

Assault

Nothing to report this week.

Break-Ins

A glass door was smashed in at a business on Silvercreek near Greengate and the cash register was stolen. There were two suspects, one that smashed and one that grabbed. Both were described as thin and wearing gloves and dark clothing; one was wearing a teal-coloured puffy winter jacket and the other was wearing a short black winter jacket. If you have any information call Constable Victoria Deston at 519-824-1212, ext. 7454, email her at vdeston [at] guelphpolice.ca.

Police are looking for a man wearing a black jacket with the hood up, grey sweatpants, a black and grey Toronto Raptors toque, grey backpack, grey gloves, black and white Nike shoes and a red bandana over his face who broke into an apartment building on Waterloo Avenue near Roland Wednesday at around 4 am. He damaged two locks by prying the door open with a screwdriver. If you have any information, call Constable Dakota Dakins at 519-824-1212, ext. 7277, email him at ddakins [at] guelphpolice.ca.

Police are looking for a a white man, 6’1”, in his 30s with a slim build, light facial hair, bad teeth and tattoos on his hands who was also wearing a black jacket, black balaclava and a black backpack with red writing. On Monday evening, a man in his 70s reported that he found this man in his living room attempting to steal several items after breaking in through the patio door. The man apologized, put down the items and left the house, and he also left behind bolt cutters and a makeshift bladed tool, plus a bag of personal items including tools, Halloween masks, clothing and a rope. If you have any information, call Constable Cole Ridsdale at519-824-1212, ext. 7546, email him at cridsdale [at] guelphpolice.ca.

A 37-year-old Guelph man was charged with break and enter, possessing break-in instruments and possessing an identity document after police were called to a closed restaurant on Edinburgh North Monday at 1 am. The suspect was still on the premises when he was arrested. He had broke into the cash register and tried to break into the office with a pair of screwdrivers and hammer.

Drugs

A 35-year-old Guelph woman was charged with impaired operation, driving while suspended, five counts of possessing a controlled substance, possessing property obtained by crime and breaching probation, and her driver’s licence was suspended for 90 day after Bylaw reported a woman was passed out in her car near Steele and Muller. Though she denied it to police, the woman showed signs of impairment and they located suspected meth and four other packages of suspected controlled substances, plus two boxes of high-end unopened tools in her car.

Fraud

A 48-year-old Brampton woman was charged with uttering a forged document and breaching an undertaking after she tried to open a bank account Thursday morning with a permanent resident card that staff did not believe was legitimate.

Theft

The Break Enter Auto Theft (BEAT) unit recovered a stolen Audi SUV, a stolen enclosed trailer, a loaded semi-automatic rifle as well as stolen bicycles and tools from a commercial facility in the south end. The investigation is still ongoing.

On Tuesday, a resident reported that their silver 2006 Honda Civic had been stolen overnight in the area of Grange and Watson Parkway North. If you have any information, call Constable Jay Martin at 519-824-1212, ext. 7181, email him at jwmartin [at] guelphpolice.ca.

Last Wednesday at around 5 pm,  two people reportedly stole 25 bottles of perfume and cologne with a total value in excess of $3,700. The male suspect was described as having brown skin, an accent and a short dark beard, and he was wearing a dark jacket, jeans, light-coloured shoes and a black toque. The female suspect had olive skin, blonde and black layered hair and was wearing a black jacket, black pants, black boots and a dark toque. If you have any information, call Constable Matt Simpson at 519-824-1212, ext. 7318, email him at msimpson [at] guelphpolice.ca.

Police are looking for the person who broke into a drop-box to steal a grey 2018 Ford Escape from a parking lot near Woolwich and Woodlawn Monday morning. The car was also taken. If you have any information call Constable Derek Vanden Enden at 519-824-1212, ext. 7107, email him at derekvandenenden [at] guelphpolice.ca.

A pickup truck and cargo van were taken from a Speedvale West business sometime early Sunday morning, a white 2022 Chevrolet Silverado with U-Haul markings on the sides and a white 2021 GMC Savana van. All three of the involved men were described as having light skin, and between 5’8” to 6 feet tall with medium builds. One was wearing a blue and yellow winter jacket, black pants, brown boots with red laces and a grey baseball cap. The second was wearing a black shiny jacket, black pants, white shoes and a teal balaclava. The third was wearing a blue jacket, blue jeans, yellow gloves and a black balaclava. They arrived on the scene in a black Jeep Wrangler. If you have any information, call Constable Matt Ball at 519-824-1212, ext. 7525, email him at mball [at] guelphpolice.ca.

A truck stolen from Park Avenue near Suffolk Street West on Tuesday morning was recovered in another jurisdiction when the 29-year-old Guelph man who stole it was trying to change a tire. He was obviously arrested and held for a bail hearing.

Police arrested the suspect who rammed a police cruiser while driving a stolen car earlier this month. The 28-year-old Guelph man was arrested downtown on Tuesday and stolen identification was recovered during the arrest. So all told he’s being charged with dangerous driving, flight from police, failing to stop at a collision, possessing stolen property over $5,000 and possessing stolen property under $5,000.

Traffic

According to Guelph Police, there were 10 motor vehicle collisions that they responded to during Wednesday’s winter storm. Most of the collisions resulted in just minor damage and none of them involved reports of any injuries.

A 23-year-old man was charged with stunt driving and speeding, and his driver’s licence was suspended for 30 days after he was clocked doing 113 kilometres per hour in a posted 60 zone on Tuesday afternoon.

A 27-year-old Guelph man was charged with impaired operation and novice driver having alcohol in his system, and his driver’s licence was suspended for 90 day Thursday evening. A patrol in the area of Silvercreek and Willow saw a vehicle leaving a parking lot covered in snow and then driving approximately 30 kilometres per hour in a 50 zone. When stopped, the driver reportedly failed a roadside breath test.

Other Notes

Police are looking for the owner of a Milwaukee sliding compound saw that was found tucked in behind a shrub on Woolwich near Macdonell last Friday morning. Anyone who is missing a saw similar to the one in the stock photo below is asked to call Guelph Police at 519-824-1212.

A 34-year-old Guelph man was charged with breaching an undertaking, breaching probation, three counts of possessing stolen property, two counts of possessing identity documents and two counts of possessing a stolen credit card. Police picked him up on Thursday night when he was seen entering his former residence on Elizabeth Street that he was barred from attending as a condition of his release.

Total calls for service last week:  1,686

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.