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
Murder
A 27-year-old Guelph man was arrested for second-degree murder and committing an indignity to a human body in the case of human remains discovered in Preservation Park last week. The remains have been identified as 62-year-old Mike Galizzi, who was last seen downtown the morning of December 6 and was reported missing two days later. The accused and the victim were known to each other.
Attempted Murder
A 36-year-old Guelph woman was charged with attempted murder and possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose for an attempted murder in the east end last Friday night. Police caught up with her at an address near Woolwich and Speedvale early Monday morning. The victim’s condition continues to improve.
Assault
At 12:30 am on Sunday morning, a teen was taken to the hospital by ambulance from a party at a residence near Dublin and Durham. Two young men got into a verbal fight at the party and then went outside where it became an actual fight. One 17-year-old Guelph boy was transported to hospital for treatment of head injuries. If you have any information, call Constable Aaron Miller at 519-824-1212, ext. 7383, or email him at amiller [at] guelphpolice.ca.
A 54-year-old Guelph man was charged with two counts of assault and breaching a probation order for a January incident at a social service agency downtown. Staff reported that a man was asked to leave and responded by lunging at a female employee with clenched fists. He then shoved the same employee against a wall before leaving.
An 18-year-old Guelph woman was charged with assault with a weapon and possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose after a collapsible baton was brandished during an argument between roommates at a home near Hanlon and Flanders.
A 14-year-old Guelph boy is charged with possessing a prohibited weapon, carrying a concealed weapon, possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose and public intoxication after police were called to a business at Woodlawn and Woolwich on Sunday evening. An employee reported a man outside with a knife making threatening comments, and the suspect was taken to the hospital because he had cut himself with his own knife before police arrived.
Break-Ins
Police are seeking information about three break-ins in the north end early on Sunday morning. At 3:30 am, police went to a business near Woodlawn and Royal after an alarm was activated whn two men entered while a third one waited in a black Audi. The first male had a thin to medium build and was wearing a jacket with reflective stripes over a black hoodie, dark pants and white shoes. The second was wearing a green or grey jacket, dark pants and light shoes. Both had their faces covered. Two cash boxes were reported missing.
Another business at Woodlawn and Silvercreek was entered a half-hour later; a glass door had been smashed and the cash drawer from the register was missing. Then, on Sunday afternoon, police went to a business near Woodlawn and Nicklin where, sometime before the first break-in, two men got out of a black Audi, broke a glass door and stole cash from the registers as well as food product from a freezer.
If you have any information, call the Guelph Police Service at 519-824-1212.
Copper tubing and tools with a total value of more than $1,600 were reported missing from a construction site near Shelldale and Dawson on Monday morning after a break-in occurred sometime over the weekend. If you have any information, call Constable Sam Johnston at 519-824-1212, ext. 7214, or email him at sjohnston [at] guelphpolice.ca.
Drugs
Nothing to report.
Fraud
Guelph Police are warning local businesses about a rise in frauds called “spear phishing.” This scam is unique because the perpetrators take time to collect information on targets, sending convincing emails from a trusted source to get access, set up a fake email, and then they wait for a time when the owner of the email account can’t be easily contacted. They then send an email that looks like a top executive sending an email to their Accounts Payable department requesting an urgent payment to close a private deal.
Police encourage all businesses and organizations to take the time to verify any communications, and to have an independent verification process in place prior to making any payment changes with suppliers.
Cheques stolen from a storage locker in a parking garage at Paisley and Ryde in January 18 where deposited into an unknown person’s bank account. The suspects were believed to be white females. The first was wearing a black coat with fur trim, knee-high black boots, black pants and a black backpack with a yellow Nike swoosh symbol. The second had dark hair in a bun and was wearing a black coat, plaid scarf, black pants, tan-coloured boots with fur trim, a Nike backpack and was carrying a red shopping bag. If you have any information, call Constable Victoria Deston at 519-824-1212, ext. 7454, email her at vdeston [at] guelphpolice.ca.
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 31-year-old Guelph man was charged with impaired driving, driving while suspended and driving with open alcohol after a traffic stop Monday night near Paisley and the Hanlon. The car was observed travelling at a high rate of speed and weaving within its lane. A query of the licence plate revealed the vehicle’s owner is currently a suspended driver for unpaid fines. The driver had nearly three-times the legal limit in their system.
A 44-year-old Guelph man was charged with impaired driving and dangerous driving after striking another vehicle that was stopped at a red light at Willow and Imperial last Saturday morning. That driver, who was later taken to police headquarters where it was discovered that he had twice the legal limit in his system, also had his seven-year-old son in the car when he struck the other vehicle.
A 29-year-old Guelph man was charged with refusing to provide a breath sample after a RIDE check at Scottsdale and Cole last Friday evening. An officer spoke to a driver who had an odour of alcoholic beverage on his breath and glossy eyes, and several empty alcohol container were found in the car after the man was arrested.
Theft
Police are investigating after a Guelph man and his mom bought a 2015 Honda CRV and discovered it was stolen when they tried to register it. They had met up with an unknown male Saturday in Mississauga after seeing an ad online, and they paid $11,500 in cash for the vehicle before bringing it back to Guelph, taking it to a mechanic, and learning that it has been stolen in Toronto. The keys were seized and the vehicle impounded to be returned to its owner.
A 39-year-old Guelph man was charged with theft under $5,000 and two counts of breaching a probation order after police were called to a business near Eramosa and Stevenson on Thursday morning. The officers were asked to remove a man from the business, and when he identified himself they determined that he was wanted for breaching a probation order. When he was searched after his arrest, police found some of the store’s product in his belongings.
Traffic
A business at York and Victoria was struck by a vehicle for the second time in just over a year on Wednesday morning after the driver of a Toyota RAV4 was attempting to park when he lost control and collided with the building, which sustained significant damage. No injuries were reported.
Other Notes
A 45-year-old Guelph man was charged with mischief after repeatedly calling 9-1-1 to get help with filling out paperwork for family court.
A 48-year-old Guelph woman was arrested on the outstanding warrant and also charged with obstructing a police officer on Thursday afternoon after police were called to the VIA Rail station downtown after a woman claimed another person was refusing to return her belongings. Officers spoke to the caller, who provided a false name and date of birth, and they were later able to determine that she was wanted by police in another jurisdiction.
A 40-year-old Guelph man was arrested after a trip to the hospital and charged with two counts of assault, break and enter, mischief under $5,000, driving while prohibited and several counts of failing to comply with release orders. On Monday morning, paramedics were called to Victoria South for a man in medical distress, and police later identified him as being wanted on four different warrants.
Police Board Meeting this Week
The monthly Guelph Police Services Board is this Thursday, February 15, 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: 1,515
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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