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
At 2 am Wednesday, police were called to a business on Speedvale East where an employee said two men had entered and left the business several times before one of them attempted to enter on a bicycle. The employee tried to stop him, leading to an altercation during which the man forced the door open causing the employee’s arm to get caught. The man also spat at the employee before fleeing the area. Anyone with information is asked to call Constable Chantel Bennett at 519-824-1212, ext. 7592, or email her at cbennett [at] guelphpolice.ca.
On Wednesday evening a 20-year-old Guelph woman was arrested at a south-end residence and charged with assault causing bodily harm for a July 1 incident where two women went downtown to celebrate Canada Day and that later led to a fight where one of the women sought medical attention for three chipped teeth and other injuries after being pushed to the ground and losing consciousness.
An Oakville man is charged with five counts each of sexual assault, sexual interference and invitation to sexual touching and a single count of luring a person under 14 when police were called to a north end motel after a man reported that his daughter was missing from her bedroom. Investigation revealed they had met four previous times after they began chatting online in early June.
Break-Ins
On Tuesday, a 30-year-old Guelph man was arrested for break and enter, theft under $5,000, using a stolen credit card and two counts of breaching a probation order. He was found to be in possession of a spring-assisted knife and two stolen cheques and was additionally charged with unauthorized possession of a prohibited weapon, two counts of possessing stolen property and an additional count of breaching probation. The arrest was made in connection to a June 10 break-in at College and Scottsdale last month where a purse was stolen and the debit and credit cards were used to make 11 purchases totalling more than $1,100.
Drugs
Nothing to report.
Fraud
The Guelph Police Service via the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC), the OPP and the RCMP are warning everyone about the increasing threat of fraudsters impersonating the CAFC and police services. Sometimes, fraudsters are claiming to assist the CAFC with an ongoing investigation using their letterhead and logo as part of the fraud or in other cases, they spoof police phone numbers. The three most common impersonation scams are bank investigator, tech support, and a recovery pitch where someone tries to convince you that they can get your money back.
Keep in mind that neither the CAFC or police services will ask you to transfer money or make a payment, ask for remote access to your computer or request personal information or any type of payment from you. It’s also easy to get the first four or six numbers of your credit card since most debit and credit card numbers with specific financial institutions begin with the same four to six numbers. If you get an incoming call claiming to be from your financial institution, advise the caller that you will call them back, do not assume that phone numbers appearing on your call display are accurate, and never be afraid to disconnect the call.
A Guelph woman in her 60s was scammed out of approximately $220,000 after being contacted by a company which purported to specialize in Bitcoin investing. She talked to a man who instructed her how to deposit money into and between online accounts. The victim took out high-interest loans and used proceeds from a family inheritance as she believed she was close to receiving a large payout from the Bitcoin investments. Her bank, noticing the large transfers, told her to get in touch with police.
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
Nothing to report.
Theft
A 2006 GMC Sierra pickup was stolen late on July 2 or early on July 3 from a company on Speedvale Avenue West. The truck is described as a modified short-box diesel, with a new white paint job and new Boss snowplow attachment on the front. If you have any information call Constable Adam Shutsa at 519-824-1212, ext. 7335, or email him at ashutsa [at] guelphpolice.ca.
On Tuesday evening, a cruiser’s automated licence plate reader detected a stolen licence plate on a Chevrolet cube van near Clair an Gordon. The plate was registered to a Ram pickup that had been stolen from south Guelph in late June and recovered without plates a couple days later in Hagersville. The van was seized for further investigation. If you have any information call Constable Michael Doehn at 519-824-1212, ext. 7587, or email him at mdoehn [at] guelphpolice.ca.
A green 29-inch Raleigh Rockwood bicycle valued at approximately $600 was stolen from a Stone Road business last Friday at around 6:50 pm. The man involved is described as 6’0”, 300 lbs, reddish/blond hair and beard, 20-30 years old, wearing a white ballcap, black shorts, black shoes, and a blue/black plaid button-up shirt. If you have any information call Constable Aaron Miller at 519-824-1212, ext. 7383, or email him at amiller [at] guelphpolice.ca.
A pallet of new siding was stolen from a job site on Eramosa Road sometime over the weekend. The siding is described as grey/tan in colour and 10-12 feet in length, and is worth approximately $8,000. If you have any information call Constable Scott Wright at 519-824-1212, ext. 7330, or email him at swright [at] guelphpolice.ca.
A black 2006 Chevrolet Silverado with chrome factory rims was taken from the driveway of a residence located near Woodlawn and Victoria some time between 3 am and 8 am last Saturday. If you have any information, call contact Constable Cameron Keddie at 519-824-1212 ext. 7431, or email him at ckeddie [at] guelphpolice.ca.
A 43-year-old Guelph man is charged with robbery and breaching a probation order for an attempted robbery at a downtown business on Tuesday.
A 43-year-old Guelph male has been charged with possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000, failure to comply with probation order, drive motor vehicle no licence, and drive while under suspension after a vehicle was stolen from a driveway just outside downtown last Saturday.
A 34-year-old Guelph man, a 23-year-old Guelph woman, and a 29-year-old Shelburne woman were all charged with possession of stolen property over $5,000 and occupy stolen motor vehicle after a patrol spotted a vehicle at the side of the road downtown last Friday night. The vehicle had caught officer attention due to the entire rear window being smashed and covered in plastic, and it turned out to be stolen. The man was also charged with possession of an identity document, two counts of possession of credit card, three counts of fail to comply with an undertaking, and fail to comply with judicial release.
Traffic
A 63-year-old man from the Walkerton area is charged with dangerous driving, flight from police and failing to wear a helmet after police saw a man riding an ebike on the sidewalk near Woodlawn and Woolwich without a helmet. The officer attempted a traffic stop, but the man made a U-turn and fled through a parking lot nearly hitting a transport trunk in the process.
A 39-year-old Guelph man is charged with speeding and stunt driving. His licence was also immediately suspended for 30 days and his vehicle was impounded for 14 days, after a police patrol near Clair and Victoria clocked a Tesla travelling 103 kilometres per hour in a posted 60 zone.
A 32-year-old Guelph man has been charged with driver while under suspension, driver motor vehicle – improper licence, flight from police, possession of stolen property over $5,000 and occupy motor vehicle without consent last week for a March incident where police spotted a man speeding on what turned out to be a stolen motorcycle.
Other Notes
Nothing else to report.
Total calls for service last week: 1,654
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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