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 39-year-old Guelph male has been charged with uttering threats and breach probation after going to a house nearly Paisley and the Hanlon where he had rented a basement apartment, and threatened his old landlord that he was going to burn the house to a the ground.
A 49-year-old Guelph man is charged with assault for an incident last Thursday evening. A man in his 60s was protesting at the corner of Woolwich and Eramosa when a second man stared at him for some time and then stepped very close to him before punching the protester in the side of the head, knocking his glasses off.
Break-Ins
On Tuesday evening, some storage containers were broken into at an Elizabeth Street business. A green 2014 Polaris Sportsman valued at approximately $8,000 was missing, as well as a generator, mountain bike and jewelry box was missing from on unit, and a “minor theft” was reported from a second. If you have any information call Constable Derek Vanden Enden at 519-824-1212, ext. 7107, or email him at dvandenenden [at] guelphpolice.ca.
Two 14-year-old male youths were arrested and charged with break and enter on Wednesday for a January break-in at a commercial business in the south end where $3,000 in damage was caused. Police are still looking for a third suspect, so if you have any information, call them at 519-824-1212 or call Crime Stoppers.
A 23-year-old Guelph man is charged with three counts each of break and enter, possessing stolen property and breaching probation as well as possessing a controlled substance and failing to appear in court after a break-in on Surrey Street early Tuesday morning. Police were able to track down the subject to a nearby residence, and he surrendered after four hours of negotiation. Evidence from two other break-ins were found, plus a quantity of suspected meth.
Drugs
A 37-year-old Brampton man faces multiple drug and firearm charges and was also arrested for violating parole along with a 68-year-old Mississauga man who was charged with multiple drug and firearm offences and a 33-year-old Hamilton man who was charged with several drug offences, all stemming from a investigation that started last November. Police recovered $4.7 million in fentanyl, the largest such seizure in Guelph Police history, and they also recovered seven kilos of meth, 3.5 kilos of highly potent fentanyl and five kilograms of cocaine, plus a variety of illegal weapons including a Kelt-Tec AR Style rifle and ammunition, and SKS semi-automatic rifle and 150 rounds of ammunition, and six Glock handguns with multiple over-capacity magazines including a 50-round drum magazine with ammunition, three of those guns were confirmed stolen from the U.S. See the picture above.
Fraud
A 29-year-old Brampton man faces several fraud-related charges after police were called to the TD branch on Paisley where a customer opened an account using a Republic of Liberia passport. The man had also opened another account earlier that day at a different TD branch using a Republic of Malawi passport, and a search of his car revealed identification documents and banking cards in six different names.
March is Fraud Prevention Month, and this year marks the 2oth anniversary of the annual initiative to draw attention and awareness to prominent fraud activities targeting Canadians. The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) is highlighting how some of the most common types of fraud have evolved over the past two decades, and you can see that list here, but there is some general advice about how best to protect yourself from getting scammed:
- Be careful when sending cryptocurrency; once the transaction is completed, it is unlikely to be reversed.
- Prior to investing, ask for information on the investment. Research the team behind the offering and analyze the feasibility of the project
- Verify if the investment companies are registered with your Provincial Securities Regulator or the National Registration Search Tool (www.aretheyregistered.ca).
- If you receive a suspicious phone call claiming to be from a family member in an emergency situation, hang up the phone and contact them directly on the number you have in your contact list.
- If the caller claims to be a law enforcement official and asked you to pay a fine or bail, hang up and call your police directly.
- If you receive funds for any reason from an unknown individual or company and you are asked to forward it elsewhere – DON’T! You could be breaking laws when you are acting as a money mule.
- If you are asked to “boost” apps, videos or merchandise, you will more than likely be providing fake reviews to fraudulent products.
- Use reputable service providers located in your area.
- Never click on a link or attachment from an unsolicited message.
- Anyone who suspects they have been the victim of cybercrime or fraud should report it to their local police and to the CAFC’s online reporting system or by phone at 1-888-495-8501. If not a victim, report it to the CAFC anyway.
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 43-year-old Guelph male was charged with operation while impaired and blood alcohol concentration 80 plus after police observed a man buy alcohol from store in a plaza at Imperial and Paisley and then get into the driver’s seat of their car and sit there for several minutes before leaving. The driver failed to signal as they left the plaza.
A 23-year-old Brampton man and 51-year-old Durham man were each arrested for impaired driving at RIDE spot checks last weekend. The Durham man is also charged with refusing to provide a breath sample, and both drivers had their licences suspended for 90 days and their vehicle impounded for seven days.
Theft
A white 2018 GMC Sierra 3500HD with a white 20-foot enclosed Miska trailer was stolen from a job site located near Wyndham and York. The keys had been left in the vehicle. If you have any information, call Special Constable Tim Jotham at 519-824-1212 ext. 7184, or email him at tjotham [at] guelphpolice.ca.
On Monday morning staff from a local roofing company working at a site on Southgate discovered that approximately $50,000 worth of specialized equipment was stolen from the roof included a hoist and a large generator. Due to the size and weight of the equipment stolen it is believed thieves would need a trailer as well as knowledge how to operate the equipment. If you have any information, call Constable John Hunt at 519-824-1212, ext. 7359, or email him at jhunt [at] guelphpolice.ca.
On Sunday morning, officers reported to a church in the plaza at Willow and Dawson in response to the theft of around $10,000 in equipment including a sound mixing board, electronic drums, microphones, projectors, an amplifier and laptops. The break-in occurred between the evening of March 6 and morning of March 10. If you have any information, call Constable Dylan Costello at 519-824-1212, ext. 7396, or email him at dcostello [at] guelphpolice.ca.
A 25-year-old Cambridge woman was charged with theft over $5,000 for removing $9,600 from the manager’s safe at a business near Speedvale and Stevenson.
A 36-year-old man and 25-year-old woman, both from London, were charged with theft under $5,000, possessing stolen property and possession for the purpose of trafficking last Saturday afternoon. The man was stopped by an off-duty police officer while trying to leave the store with $2,600 product, and an on-duty officer took the woman into custody finding quantities of suspected meth, cocaine, psilocybin and fentanyl as well as digital scales, drug paraphernalia and multiple cellphones in their car.
Traffic
On Tuesday, a 28-year-old Guelph man turned himself in to police and was charged with flight from police, dangerous driving, driving while suspended and driving without a permit. The man had been stopped driving a white SUV just after midnight last Saturday at a RIDE spot check, and he sped away after the officer detected the odour of alcohol.
Other Notes
On Wednesday afternoon, police and fire were called to a north end residence after a vehicle in a residential garage caught on fire and then the fire spread to the house. Damage to the house is described as substantial, but there were no injuries and the fire is not considered suspicious.
Police Board Meeting this Week
The monthly Guelph Police Services Board is this Thursday, February 21, 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: 1,456
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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