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.
Assault
A 28-year-old Guelph man was arrested Saturday charged with assaulting a police officer and disarming a police officer. On January 15, a man was being treated at Guelph General Hospital when he ran from a room, pushing open a door which struck the officer in the chest and knocked her to the ground. He was able to briefly gain control of the officer’s taser before being taken to the floor and disarmed.
Break-Ins
The fate of an SUV stolen from Guelph was revealed when OPP informed Guelph Police that it was used in a Wellington County break-in on Sunday morning. The Lexus SUV was taken from a home in the area of Palmer and Stuart the night before it was used in a break-in at a Fergus business. The car was left at the scene. If you have any information, call Constable Greg Mitchell at 519-824-1212, ext. 7170, or email him at gmitchell [at] guelphpolice.ca.
Drugs
Nothing to report.
Fraud
Last Saturday, a Guelph man contacted police and said that he had begun chatting online a few days earlier with someone he believed to be a woman. During the chat, he sent a nude photo, and then the suspect threatened to post the photo unless the victim sent $2,000, which he did. When the suspect demanded more, the victim blocked them on social media. Police remind everyone not to share intimate images online, especially with anyone they do not personally know.
Last Friday, a woman in her 70s contacted police to report that she had gotten a call earlier this month from someone claiming to represent her bank. The victim was told that there was unusual activity on her account and was sent several text messages containing number codes, which were provided to the caller. She was then told that her cards needed to be destroyed and an unknown man came to her house to collect them later that day. Over the next week, more than $33,000 was removed from the victim’s bank and credit card accounts.
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 29-year-old Guelph man is charged with driving while prohibited after a police patrol in the area of Elmira and Paisley picked up a licence plate via the automated reader. The truck belonged to a prohibited driver who was banned from driving for being impaired while behind the wheel.
Theft
A series of vehicle thefts and and attempted vehicle thefts happened on Thursday. At 12:40 pm, a dark red 2022 Ram pickup was found missing from a driveway near Victoria and Norma and at 3:30 pm, a grey 2012 Toyota Corolla was stolen from the parking garage at an apartment building near Silvercreek and Willow. At 9:20 am, a 2019 Ram Promaster cargo van at a business on Hanlon Creek Boulevard took extensive damage to the dash and steering console when someone tried to steal it, and a Dodge Caravan taken from Waterloo Region was found near Kortright and Hanlon Road with two different license plates. It is not known if any of the incidents are related. Anyone with information is asked to call the Guelph Police Service at 519-824-1212.
Police are looking for three adults and youth who combined their talents to rob $700 in grocery items and beauty products from a store near Paisley and Elmira Sunday evening. The four suspects exited the store without making any effort to pay for all the items in their cart, and they left the area in a black BMW four-door sedan.If you have any information, call Constable Mackenzie Sissing at 519-824-1212, ext. 7553, or email him at msissing [at] guelphpolice.ca.
One person was injured and Guelph Police are looking for three suspects after a pharmacy near Gordon and Kortright was robbed at 5:30 pm Tuesday evening. The suspects were described as three black males. Two were dressed all in black and one was wearing a white sweater. All three wore masks and gloves. One of the suspects carried a knife and wounded a female employee who was treated at the hospital. The suspects were last seen heading southbound on Gordon in a stolen white Chevrolet Cruze. If you have any information, call Detective Constable Jagdeep Atwal at 519-824-1212, ext. 7436, or email him at jatwal [at] guelphpolice.ca.
A 34-year-old Perth County woman was arrested Thursday after appearing in a Guelph court on unrelated matters. She is charged with theft under $5,000, possessing stolen property over $5,000 and breaching a conditional sentence in connection to an October 1 theft from a Stone Road store.
A 37-year-old Guelph man was charged with robbery, possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose and breach of probation early on Sunday morning. A woman in a downtown parkade was confronted by a man she knew. He grabbed her backpack and when the victim tried to stop him the man pulled out a knife and held it to her neck. The victim did not sustain any physical injuries.
Traffic
Weather conditions caused 12 different collisions in a 24-hour period. Only minor injuries were reported in one of the collisions, a female driver who attended the collision reporting centre on Clair Road West just after 4 pm complaining of a headache and blurred vision so she was transported to hospital for assessment.
Other Notes
A 60-year-old Guelph man was attested on Wednesday night for missing court, more than three years after he was first arrested on two counts of trafficking in a controlled substance.
A man in his late 70s was saved by his Apple Watch on Wednesday morning. A Guelph Police Service communicator received an automated 911 call indicating that the person wearing the watch had taken a hard fall in a commercial parking lot. Police found the man who was having difficulty speaking after falling on some ice and an ambulance was called.
A 23-year-old Guelph woman and 25-year-old Guelph man were arrested for mischief to property on Monday evening after they locked a woman out of her own apartment at Waterloo and Woodycrest. Investigation confirmed the woman was wanted on three outstanding warrants for charges including flight from police and several breaches of court orders.
A 28-year-old Guelph man was charged with arson and four counts of breaching probation after police were called to Old Quebec Street Shoppes last Friday. The man, who was known to security staff, set fire to debris inside a metal trash can and walked away. No injuries were reported.
Total calls for service last week: 1,298
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.
Guelph Politico 