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 Person
Assault
A 26-year-old Guelph man is charged with uttering death threats, possessing a prohibited weapon, failing to attend court and several breaches of bail and probation conditions after a wellbeing check Tuesday night. While on scene, officers located a man known to be wanted for several counts of breaching court orders and he was placed under arrest. He uttered death threats at the female tenant while being removed and he had a spring-assisted knife in his pocket.
A 39-year-old Guelph man was charged with assault with a weapon, assault causing bodily harm and obstructing police for an August 11 incident where an injured man was found in the area of Guelph General Hospital. Investigation revealed three people were in a car when they began arguing. The driver was struck in the side of the head with a glass jar, causing a significant injury. He was transported by air ambulance to a trauma centre for treatment. Last Saturday morning, police identified the suspect downtown while talking to him about an unrelated matter.
Break-Ins
Staff arrived at work near Woolwich and Eramosa at 10 am on Monday and discovered the business had been broken into. A safe was reported missing. The incident is under investigation, so anyone with information is asked to call Constable Nicholas Doner at 519-824-1212, ext. 7230, or email him at ndoner [at] guelphpolice.ca.
On Monday at 6:20 am, a resident of Waterloo near Wellington called police after discovering a window smashed out of his SUV. Only a minor theft was reported, but damage to the vehicle is estimated at $500 to $1,000. If you have any information, call Constable Bryan McKean at 519-824-1212, ext. 7109, or email him at bmckean [at] guelphpolice.ca.
A 28-year-old Guelph woman and 41-year-old Guelph man have since been arrested and charged with break and enter after police were called to a break-in at a downtown business early last Friday morning. The man pried open the lock while the woman acted as look-out. They left a short time later pushing a trolley with almost $500 worth of product loaded up.
Drugs
Nothing to report.
Fraud
Last Saturday morning, a Guelph woman called police and reported a Facebook ad offering two tickets for $300 each, sending $600 with the understanding the tickets would be transferred to the victim’s Ticketmaster account. The victim shared with officers copies of correspondence between her and the supposed seller, as well as a voice message in which the seller was noted to have a strong accent. Officers managed to call the owner of the Facebook page, who advised her account had been hacked in September and she has been trying to have it deactivated ever since. Police were unable to recover the funds.
A woman in her 60s who lost $57,000 to a crypto scam back in October was once again victim to a similar scam. On Tuesday, she reported a further loss of $15,000 after she was contacted online by an individual who claimed he could help her recoup the earlier loss. They had her download an app, which allowed that individual access to her bank account, which was not dissimilar to the earlier scam where she thought she was dealing with a supposed investment company she had discovered through an online ad.
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 35-year-old Cambridge man was charged with impaired driving and careless driving causing bodily harm on Thursday evening after a car slammed into a parked pick-up truck on Morris Street. A passenger in the suspect’s vehicle struck his head on the windshield during the collision, and police found a pipe with burned tinfoil and suspected fentanyl residue in the vehicle.
Theft
A distraction theft was reported to police on Thursday at 2 pm in Stone Road Mall. Staff reported two men and two women entered the business together. While the men distracted employees by asking to look at fragrances, the women began concealing cosmetic products in another part of the store.
The men were both described as having brown skin, short black hair and short beards. One was wearing a black jacket, blue jeans and white Nike shoes. The second was wearing a long black puffy coat, black sweater, black jeans and white and tan Nike shoes. The women were both also described as having brown skin. One had blonde hair and was wearing a black jacket, black track pants with white stripes and a pink toque. The second was wearing a black North Face jacket, black pants and grey and black running shoes. All four fled in a gold Toyota Rav-4.
If you have any information, call Constable David Lee at 519-824-1212, ext. 7108, email him at dlee [at] guelphpolice.ca.
Nearly $900 in LEGO was stolen from a Stone Road store last Friday evening at 6:30 pm. Two males separately entered the business, and while one man selected several boxes of LEGO and walked out, setting off alarms, the second man loaded a cart with LEGO sets and followed the first man out of the store. Both were described as white males in their 20s. One was wearing a grey hoodie, jeans and a grey hat. The second was wearing a pale yellow track suit with the hood up. If you have any information, call Constable John Hunt at 519-824-1212, ext. 7359, or email him at jhunt [at] guelphpolice.ca.
A 31-year-old Kitchener woman is charged with two counts of possessing stolen property under $5,000 after a woman was caught in the parking lot across the road from police headquarters downtown on Wednesday afternoon.
Traffic
Last Friday afternoon, a member of the Traffic Unit was on patrol near Wellington and Edinburgh when the cruiser’s licence plate reader alerted him to a white Toyota RAV-4 stolen a day earlier from the London area. The officer attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver changed lanes abruptly, striking the front corner of the cruiser. This caused the driver of the stolen vehicle to briefly lose control before he sped away. The SUV was last seen southbound on the Hanlon Expressway but was not pursued in the interest of public safety.
The driver was described as a white male, 25-35 years of age with several tattoos on his left arm and hand. He was wearing a white baseball cap and short-sleeved shirt and had a white female passenger. If you have any information call Constable Steve Ladouceur at 519-824-1212, ext. 7483, or email him at sladouceur [at] guelphpolice.ca.
Other Notes
The Guelph Police Service and Guelph Fire Department are investigating a suspicious fire in a vacant house Thursday morning near Gordon and Arkell. Firefighters located evidence inside that suggested unknown parties had been in the house. The cause of the fire and a damage estimate have not been determined. Anyone with information is asked to call Constable Cole Ridsdale at 519-824-1212, ext. 7546, or email him at cridsdale [at] guelphpolice.ca.
A 36-year-old Guelph man is charged with arson, mischief to property, possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose and five counts of breaching court orders after a fire was set in a garden area close to an apartment building on Waterloo near Wellington. Several small explosions were heard as unknown items were thrown in the fire, which destroyed parts of the garden. Two knives were found on the suspect, and no injuries were reported.
A 48-year-old Guelph man faces a further charge of failing to appear after he accidentally butt dialed 9-1-1. A calltaker spoke to a male, who identified himself and explained he did not mean to call. Investigation revealed the phone’s owner was wanted for failing to attend court on assault and other charges.
Total calls for service last week: 1,336
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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