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.
Missing
Assault
A 55-year-old Guelph man was charged with dangerous driving, flight from police, assault with a weapon, possessing stolen property and several Highway Traffic Act offense for an August 17 incident involving a stolen van. Officers attempted to stop the van at Wellington and Wyndham and the driver intentionally drove into the passenger side of the cruiser before speeding away.
A 38-year-old Guelph man was charged with assault with a weapon, carrying a weapon for a dangerous purpose, breaching a probation order and breaching a release order for an incident Sunday evening. The man entered a business near Silvercreek and Willow holding a knife, repeatedly yelled that he was holding a knife and he threatened to stab a staff member when they were advising customers to avoid the man with the knife.
A 27-year-old Guelph man was charged with assault last Saturday afternoon when an adult male was pulled from his vehicle and repeatedly punched in the face and head by a man not known to him in the parking lot of a store on Woodlawn Road West. The victim was transported to hospital for treatment of minor injuries.
A 36-year-old Guelph woman was charged with possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose, carrying a concealed weapon, assault, assault to resist arrest and two counts of breaching a probation order after she was waving a knife and threatening staff at a business near Quebec and Wyndham. Investigation revealed the woman was banned from the business after a confrontation the previous day during which a staff member was punched in the breast.
Break-Ins
There was a break-in at a business near Silvercreek and Willow at 6:35 am on Thursday morning. A male suspect smashed a glass front door with a boulder, and smashed two cash registers beyond repair and only made away with a small amount of coins. Damage is estimated at $2,000. The male was wearing a dark-coloured puffy jacket with the hood up, black jogging pants with three stripes on either side, a red or burgundy bandana, light-coloured gloves and red shoes. If you have any information, call Constable Scott Wright at 519-824-1212, ext. 7330, or email him at swright [at] guelphpolice.ca.
On Sunday morning, police were called to a business near Woodlawn and Imperial because sometime in the night someone cut a fence to access the yard. Evidence on scene suggested a Dodge Caravan parked in the yard was stolen and driven dangerously before colliding with a parked school bus, causing minor damage to both vehicles. If you have any information, call Constable Melissa Anthony at 519-824-1212, ext. 7487, or email her at manthony [at] guelphpolice.ca.
Drugs
A 33-year-old Guelph female, 30-year-old Guelph male, two 28-year-old Guelph males and two 17-year-old Guelph males were all charged with multiple counts of possessing controlled substances for the purpose of trafficking after a search warrant was executed at two addresses in the area of Paisley and Silvercreek early Friday. Officers seized more than $80,000 worth of fentanyl, cocaine and Oxycodone, as well as drug paraphernalia, a pellet gun and more than $1,700 in cash.
A 36-year-old Guelph man and 27-year-old Fergus man were each charged with three counts of possessing controlled substances for the purpose of trafficking, plus the Fergus man was also charged with nine counts of driving while prohibited and driving under suspension. The Break Enter Auto Theft Unit had been investigating the Fergus suspect since mid-October, and on Monday they conducted a traffic stop near Elmira and Massey. Officers recovered quantities of suspected meth, fentanyl and cocaine, nearly $5,800 in cash, four cellphones and drug paraphernalia.
A 57-year-old Guelph man was charged with two counts of possessing a controlled substance after an officer on patrol Wednesday morning saw a wanted woman driving a van. That woman, a 27-year-old form Guelph, was arrested on charges of assault, fraud and possessing stolen property. The 57-year-old was a passenger in the van and had small amounts of suspected fentanyl and hydromorphone on her.
Fraud
The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre and the Guelph Police Service are trying to raise awareness about the most common variations of online extortion frauds, so residents can familiarize and protect themselves from becoming a victim.
1) Extortion email featuring password: Canadians are receiving a threatening email from an unfamiliar contact. The email claims to have gained access to the recipient’s computer, installed malware and recorded an explicit video of the recipient. The email sender threatens to send the video to the recipient’s contacts, if they do not pay money via Bitcoin immediately. The fraudsters apply pressure on the recipient by setting a short time limit.
These fraudulent emails attempt to prove the legitimacy of their claims by including one of the recipient’s passwords. In many cases, the password is being confirmed by recipients as an old password. These passwords were likely collected during previous frauds. (e.g. phishing scam or database breach).
2) Fake law enforcement extortion email: Canadians are receiving threatening emails claiming to be from international law enforcement agencies, but most commonly the RCMP. The fraudulent email asks you to open an attachment to view the fraudulent letter. After opening the attachment, a letter using law enforcement logos and names of high-ranking law enforcement officials is displayed and claims that you are accused of serious criminal charges. Suspects provide a fake law enforcement email address to respond to. After communicating with suspects, they will ask you to send a payment to avoid going to jail.
3) Social media crypto extortion: Fraudsters are sending phishing emails with fraudulent links for fake Instagram login pages; this allows fraudsters to steal account credentials. Once an account is taken over, suspects blackmail victims to record a video of themselves promoting fake crypto currency platforms. Suspects advise victims that this is the only way they can recover their account. After the video is recorded, it is posted on the victim’s social media accounts with a link that connects their followers with fraudulent investment platforms. Victims will never recover their social media account and their followers are at risk of losing their funds if they invest through the fraudulent crypto currency platform
4) Sextortion: Or online sexual exploitation, is blackmail. It occurs when someone threatens to send an existing (or fabricated) sexual image or video of you to other people if you do not pay them or provide more sexual content. It can also occur when someone is encouraged to participate in or observe online situations of a sexual nature. These encounters can be recorded or captured without the victim’s knowledge. The fraudster then threatens to send the recorded material to friends, family members, or work colleagues if money or additional images are not sent.
Social media can allow fraudsters to develop an understanding of someone’s social circles and enable communication between threat actors and potential victims. Social media platforms are commonly used in sextortion.
In 2022, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre observed more reports of sextortion targeting teenagers and younger victims, particularly through online video games, chat groups and social media. Threat actors may impersonate a younger individual to slowly develop trust or begin a virtual relationship. Like extortion and other forms of fraud, sextortion can be isolating and traumatic. This uncomfortable experience can force the victim to pay the fraudster and be afraid of reporting or telling a parent or guardian. Unfortunately, payment is never a solution. Once someone pays, they will be further targeted with continued threats.
As this form of fraud is targeting young Canadians and teenagers, it is important that parents and children develop an understanding of this online threat.
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.
Impaired Driving
A 67-year-old Guelph woman was charged with impaired driving, and her driver’s licence was suspended for 90 days after a collision in the parking lot of the LCBO store at Wellington and Gordon. The crash was minor, but the woman had more than twice the legal limit in her system.
Theft
Two different pick-up trucks were stolen last weekend. A black 2003 Chevrolet Silverado SS was stolen sometime overnight from a workplace on Elizabeth Street and reported to police on Saturday morning. Also on Saturday morning, a resident at West Acre and Elmira woke up and found their black 2022 Dodge Ram pick-up stolen sometime in the night. If you have any information, call police at 519-824-1212, ext. 0.
Traffic
A 40-year-old Guelph man was charged with driving while prohibited, and his vehicle was impounded for 45 days after an automated licence plate reader detected a vehicle linked to a prohibited driver. His licence was still expired, and his car was not equipped with an ignition interlock following an impaired driving conviction like he was told.
A 42-year-old Cambridge man was charged with impaired driving, stunt driving, resisting arrest, possessing a controlled substance, failing to stop when directed and speeding. Also, his vehicle was impounded for 30 days and his licence was suspended for 90 days. He nearly hit an officer doing a traffic stop while driving 109 kilometres per hour in a 60 on Speedvale Avenue near Elmira.
Other Notes
On Tuesday at around 12:15 pm, a woman reported that she saw a male at the bus stop near the Stone Road Walmart with his pants down and masturbating. He was described as being in his 60s, heavy build with grey hair and a grey beard. He was wearing a brown sweater and carrying a cane and black shoulder bag. If you have any information, call Constable Christine Lovell at 519-824-1212, ext. 7535, or email her at clovell [at] guelphpolice.ca.
A 30-year-old Guelph woman was charged with failing to appear in court on Thursday night after she was arrested in another jurisdiction and discovered to have a warrant against her here in Guelph. She was originally charged with theft, possessing stolen property, mischief, driving while prohibited and several counts of breaching court orders.
A 57-year-old Guelph woman was charged with mischief under $5,000 after putting a large scratch in a colleague’s Tesla following a meeting with her employer. The Tesla’s owner and the accused had been involved in an altercation at work, and the accused was not satisfied with how it was resolved.
A 42-year-old Guelph man was arrested for obstructing justice. The man’s son was in custody for charges including assault and breaching a release order, and then he called his son’s 18-year-old girlfriend and asked were to not co-operate with the prosecution.
Police Board Meeting this Week
The monthly Guelph Police Services Board is this Thursday, November 16, at 2:30 pm. You can see the agenda here, and then tune in to the meeting on the Guelph Police YouTube page.
Total calls for service last week: 1,397
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.
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