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 Now Warning About Door-to-Door Scams

On top of recent warnings about Grandparent Scams and Sextortion Scams, Guelph Police released a special warning this week about Door-to-Door scams. Police said that they’re seeing an increase in these scams in Guelph and the surrounding area, which uses high pressure sales tactics and/or promises of incentive or reward to get people to buy air cleaners, air conditioners, air purifiers, duct cleaning services, furnaces, water filters, water heaters, water purifiers, water softeners, or water treatment devices as well as bundles of these products.

If someone comes to your door trying to sell you something and you’re not sure they’re legit, Police are recommending the following advice:

• Ask for photo ID and get the name of the person and company you are dealing with.
• Consider installing a camera at your front door to have video of any fraudulent transactions.
• Request documentation on all transactions or contracts and take time to educate yourself on the options available to you. Don’t feel pressured to make a decision on the spot.
• Research before you sign anything, agree to anything, or invest your money. Don’t sign anything without getting your own legal advice, and always read the fine print.
• Never share personal information or copies of any bills, financial statements, or other private information.
• Don’t let anyone enter your home unless you have invited them and/or you have taken steps to verify who they are. If you are unsure, seek assistance from a family member or friend.
• For contracts signed at your home, you have a cooling off period. Consumers in Ontario have the right to cancel a contract for any reason within a 10-day cooling off period. For water heater contracts, there is a 20-day cooling off period.

Too Much Stunt Driving in 2023

In their Thursday media release, Guelph Police asked for local drivers to go a little bit easier on the gas pedal as 14 charges of student driving have been handed out since the beginning of the year including eight alone in the first eight days of February. Police remind Guelph drivers that the speed limit on most residential streets in Guelph is 40 kilometres per hour, and 30 in school zones. Drivers charged with stunt driving will face an automatic 30-day suspension of their driver’s licence and 14-day impoundment of their vehicle. On conviction, offenders will face a further one-year driving prohibition, fine of at least $2,000 and could receive a jail sentence of up to six months.

Police Board Meeting this Week

The monthly Guelph Police Services Board is this Thursday, February 16, at 2:30 pm. You can see the agenda here, and then tune in to the meeting on the Guelph Police YouTube page.

Assault

A 46-year-old Guelph man was charged with assault, mischief under $5,000 and public intoxication after a woman reported Tuesday afternoon that the suspect was trying to steal her dog.

A 39-year-old Guelph man was charged with assault with a weapon, choking, forcible confinement and breaching a release order after he assaulted a woman over a debt owed by her ex-boyfriend. The female victim was confronted in the stairwell of a Waterloo Avenue apartment building Tuesday evening and was struck with a metal pipe and grabbed by the throat as the suspect demanded that she pay for her ex’s debts.

Break-Ins

An employee at a commercial building on Silvercreek near Willow discovered that someone had forced open an exterior door in an attempt to access one of the interior businesses at around 9 pm on Tuesday. If you have any information, call Constable Christian Godin at 519-824-1212, ext. 7288, email him at cgodin [at] guelphpolice.ca.

Police were called to a home near Ironwood and Kortright on Thursday evening after the people living their notices handprints on the outside kitchen window and foot prints in the snow underneath. Officers called it a possible break-and-enter attempt. Anyone with information is asked to call Constable Konrad Babol at 519-824-1212, ext. 7189, or email him at kbabol [at] guelphpolice.ca.

Drugs

A 47-year-old Guelph man was charged with possessing a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking after police spotted a wanted man while patrolling on Woolwich Street Wednesday morning. A search revealed a plastic bag containing a large amount of suspected crystal meth worth $2,100, plus a quantity of Canadian, Mexican, Australian and Cuban currency as well as several unused glass pipes.

Fraud

A 33-year-old Quebec woman was charged with identity theft, fraud under $5,000, obstruct police, breaching a release order and two counts each of possessing identity documents and using forged documents on Monday afternoon. She had tried to open an account at a Speeedvale Avenue bank with what turned out to be false information.

A 37-year-old Hamilton man and 30-year-old Hamilton woman were each charged with fraud under $5,000 after an east-end business was contacted by a woman who used a credit card to buy more than $3,700 in tires. The real card holder called the business about the charge and the fraudsters were picked up when they came to pick up the tires.

***If you think you might be a victim of any fraud, call the Guelph Police Non-Emergency line is 519-824-5154, or contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 or  online at their website.

Theft

Police are warning people to take extra caution when buying and selling things online after “multiple reports” from last weekend. In these incidents, individuals steal items being sold, or provide ‘fake’ products in exchange for cash or valuables, and these recent examples have seen suspects resorting to violence when confronted, including at least one report that a suspect may have been in possession of weapons. Anyone with information, or have experienced a similar incident, are being asked to call Detective Constable Kyle Winters at 519-824-1212, ext. 7387, or email him at kwinters [at] guelphpolice.ca.

A black 2008 Cadillac Escalade was stolen from a parking lot at a manufacturing business on Southgate Drive sometime before 2 am on Thursday. If you have any information, call Special Constable Tim Jotham at 519-824-1212, ext. 7184, or email him at tjotham [at] guephpolice.ca.

Police are looking for a white woman in her 20s, 5’7” with a slim build and dark hair and wearing a black coat who entered a 90-year-old woman’s apartment on Silvercreek Parkway North between 5 and 6 pm on February 1. They stole cash from her purse. The senior was at home and having dinner at the time of the break-in.

Four skids of ABS pipe worth $31,000 was stolen from a construction site near Dawson and Shelldale on Sunday morning at around 6:20 am. The pipe was removed from the site with a transport truck and U-Haul van, cutting off a padlock to enter the site, and using a forklift to load the stolen pipe. The suspect who drive the forklift is described as wearing a blue jacket with the hood up, black Adidas pants, black shoes, white gloves and a mask. A second suspect, a white male, drove the U-Haul. If you have any information call Constable Emily Dietrich at 519-824-1212, ext. 7265, or email her at edietrich [at] guelphpolice.ca.

A 31-year-old Guelph man was charged with possessing stolen property over $5,000, being an occupant in a stolen vehicle and breaching probation in connection with a stolen vehicle left abandoned in a downtown parkade last month. A 28-year-old Guelph woman had previously been arrested for the crime and the investigation is still on the look out for a third suspect.

A 20-year-old Brampton man was arrested Thursday and is charged with robbery with a firearm, robbery, possessing stolen property over $5,000, fraud under $5,000, trafficking in stolen property and possessing a controlled substance. The suspect was tied to an investigation into several reports of items being stolen using violence or threats by persons responding to advertisements on popular buying and selling websites. At least one of these incidents allegedly involved the use of a firearm.

Traffic

A 57-year-old Guelph male is charged with impaired driving, and his driver’s licence was suspended for 90 days after police conducted a traffic stop on Monday afternoon near Scottsdale and Stone.

A 29-year-old Guelph man was charged with driving while prohibited and failing to comply with an undertaking on Sunday night when a car began following an unmarked police cruise on patrol on Alma Street.

Other Notes

A 30-year-old Guelph man who was already wanted by Guelph Police was arrested on other charges including escaping custody, resisting arrest, three counts of possessing controlled substances and possessing stolen property. Last Sunday morning, officers saw the suspect riding his bike on Dawson Road and recognized him. After a short foot chase, police caught him, searched him, and found small quantities of suspected fentanyl, crystal meth and prescription opioids, as well as a laptop believed to be stolen.

A 36-year-old Guelph woman was arrested Monday and was charged with abandoning a child and failing to provide necessities of life to a child. Police were called to an apartment building in the west end at 11 am when the super reported a four-year-old girl wandering alone on two different floors. Officers determined that the child’s home was not a safe living environment, with garbage and evidence of drug use throughout the unit, and the investigation revealed that the child have been left alone since 3 am.

A 59-year-old Guelph woman was charged under the Criminal Code with causing harm to an animal. Just after midnight last Friday, police were called to a residence in the area of Silvercreek and Paisley where it was reported that dog had been left outside barking for three hours. Police found a small dog with a large amount of ice collected on its face, paws and abdomen, and it was also shivering and walking with a limp. No one answered the door of the home, and police took the dog to the Guelph Humane Society for assessment.

Total calls for service last week: 1,623

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.