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 21-year-old Ajax man was charged with assault causing bodily harm after a disturbance at a downtown bar last Thursday turned into a sneak attack when the victim and his girlfriend took an Uber to a house on Scottsdale to talk out their differences with the other party. They were met by several males, two of whom were holding baseball bats, and the victim was punched in the face and thrown to the ground, and then he was repeatedly punched and stomped on by some of the other men. The victim sustained a concussion and several cuts and bruises.
A 35-year-old Guelph man was charged with assault with a weapon, possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose and two counts of possessing stolen identity documents after an employee at a Wyndham North business reported that a man walked by holding what looked like a gun Thursday morning. Several officers responded and located the suspect walking on Wyndham near Woolwich. Believing he could be in possession of a firearm officers ordered the man to the ground at gunpoint. A black and silver imitation firearm was located on his person. (See above.) The suspect also had two stolen passports on him, and it turned out he was wanted by another police service too.
A 27-year-old Guelph woman was charged with assault with a weapon and four counts of failing to comply with court order after one man’s fiancé hit the other man in the face with dog spray during a fight outside a social service agency downtown Sunday afternoon.
A 40-year-old Guelph man was charged with assault with a weapon, possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose and being unlawfully in a dwelling for a March 23 incident where a man was assaulted by two men with a baseball bat.
Break-Ins
A 30-year-old Hamilton man and 33-year-old Hamilton woman face a long list of charges in several jurisdictions, but in Guelph the woman is charged with four counts of break and enter, four counts of wearing a disguise while committing an offence, theft of a motor vehicle, possessing stolen property over $5,000 and three counts of unauthorized use of a credit card. The pair were connected by the Break Enter Auto Theft Unit to a series of residential break-ins in the south end late last month.
A 21-year-old Guelph man is charged with break and enter and trespassing at night after a woman sleeping in her home at Edinburgh and Water called 9-1-1 to report that a man woke her by poking her in the back to tell her that he had broken in to get something to eat. He left, but not before taking glasses and a watch.
Drugs
A 33-year-old Guelph man was charged with four counts of possessing controlled substances, unauthorized possession of a weapon, three counts of breaching probation and failing to comply with a bail order after police were called to a downtown restaurant about a man sleeping in the bathroom. He was arrested on an outstanding warrant for failing to appear in court, and a search revealed a pellet gun, brass knuckles, a knife and a box cutter as well as small amounts of suspected fentanyl and hashish.
Fraud
A 28-year-old Kitchener man turned himself in to Guelph Police Wednesday and faces seven counts of fraud under $5,000 after a fraud prevention officer at a Stone Road store reported several fraudulent transactions by a former employee. Between November and January, several items were purchased from locations in Waterloo Region or Guelph, and then returned at different locations of the same chain after the price tags were attached to less expensive items. The company was defrauded of approximately $1,800.
A 26-year-old Milton man was arrested at a fake convenience store in Guelph and charged under the Criminal Code with keeping a common gaming house and allowing the registering of bets. The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Commission tipped off Guelph Police about a supposed convenience store in the west end selling illegal lottery tickets, but they weren’t selling tickets so much as taking people into a back room where users could access lottery games via tablets. Oh, and there was a Kitchener location doing this scam too!
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
Just three days after getting arrested for impaired driving by drugs, a 32-year-old Guelph woman was charged with driving while suspended, and her vehicle was impounded for seven days. On Tuesday morning her car was found parked near a known drug house in the city’s north end.
A 27-year-old Guelph man is charged with impaired driving early last Saturday morning after a vehicle was seen leaving a licensed establishment in the west end.
A 32-year-old Guelph woman is charged with impaired driving, failing to attend court, possessing a controlled substance and refusing to comply with a demand last Saturday night after police conducted a traffic stop following a driver complaint at Speedvale and Edinburgh. The driver was wanted for a missing court date last month, and when taken to police headquarters, she was examined by a drug recognition expert who determined her ability to operate a vehicle was impaired.
A 28-year-old Guelph woman is charged with impaired driving on Monday afternoon after police were called to a collision in the parking lot of the Beer Store on Woolwich Street. Investigation revealed a driver was leaving the parking lot when she lost control of her vehicle, which mounted the curb and struck a cement pole.
Theft
On Wednesday night, officers were called to the area of Eramosa and Hyland where they found a white Ford pickup had been stolen from a business in Guelph-Eramosa Township. Tools believed to be stolen from the same business were located in the bed of the truck. If you have any information call Constable Melissa Anthony at 519-824-1212, ext. 7487, or email her at manthony [at] guelphpolice.ca.
Police are looking for a man involved in several gas drive-off thefts in Guelph and surrounding areas, including a recent one on March 23 at around 6 pm at a gas station on Woodlawn Road West where $300 worth of fuel was stolen. This was after a $260 theft on February 13 at a west-end gas station. The involved vehicle is a white GMC Safari cargo van. It had different licence plates in both incidents, but both plates had been reported as missing from the same Toronto business. The male was described as white, in his 40s with a medium build and wearing a black jacket and jeans or dark pants. If you have any information call Constable Firas El-Ayoubi at 519-824-1212, ext. 7129, or email him at felayoubi [at] guelphpolice.ca.
A black 2022 Ram pick-up stolen from an address near Victoria and MacAlister last month was one of nearly 600 vehicles recovered during a massive joint operation in Montreal as they were awaiting export from Canada. It was one of two newer Rams stolen from the same neighbourhood that morning, but the other truck is still unaccounted for.
A 38-year-old Guelph man and 34-year-old Guelph woman were arrested on several counts of possessing stolen property and fraudulent use of a credit card after they went on shopping spree at several Guelph businesses last week with a stolen credit card.
Traffic
Nothing to report.
Other Notes
A 54-year-old Guelph man was charged with carrying a concealed weapon, failing to appear in court and two counts of breaching a probation order after finding a man wanted for missing a court date last month. After a short foot chase, the man was arrested and police found a folding knife tucked into his shoe.
Total calls for service last week: 1,452
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 