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
Emergency services were called to the area of Speedvale and Delhi on Thursday at 5:30 pm after a verbal altercation between a man and a woman in the man’s apartment became physical. During the fight, the man was struck on the side of the face with a lighter, causing a small laceration, and a second woman was spat on before the female suspect left and pulled the fire alarm. The investigation is ongoing, but if you have any information call Constable Matt Oliver at 519-824-1212, ext. 7262, or email him at moliver [at] guelphpolice.ca.
A 33-year-old Guelph woman was charged with assault, possessing property obtained by crime and breaching a probation order after a man went to police headquarters Monday morning to report that he was assaulted after having an argument with a woman he knew. When he told here that he did not have any drugs for her, she punched him in the face and took his phone.
A 51-year-old Guelph man was arrested for assault and assault with a weapon after he was arguing with a tenant about rent in the area of Grange and Watson. The suspect picked up a shovel and gestured to hit him with it, and then spat on the victim before leaving the property.
A 27-year-old Guelph man is charged with robbery, assault causing bodily harm and assaulting police last Saturday afternoon after emergency services were called to Paisley and Imperial. A taxi driver had dropped the man off at a plaza and waited while he went into a bank to get money for the fare. The man then left the bank and walked away, and when the cabbie tried to stop him, the man responded by punching the cabbie through the open window, causing a significant injury to the side of his head. The suspect also punched the officer when he was being arrested.
Break-Ins
Police are investigating after responding to a break and enter in progress at a business near Woolwich and Eramosa at 4 am Thursday. Investigation revealed that three suspects smashed a large window to enter the business and fled with an unknown amount of product. The suspects are believed to be three males with average builds. One was wearing an orange hoodie, red track pants with white stripes, black shoes, red gloves and a blue medical mask. The second was wearing a grey hoodie, black pants, black shoes and red gloves. The third was wearing a black hoodie over white shirt, blue jeans, a blue baseball cap with black logo and running shoes. If you have any information, call Constable Andrew Kamenz at 519-824-1212, ext. 7566, or email akamenz [at] guelphpolice.ca.
Another downtown business, this one near Macdonell and Wilson, reported a smashed window smashed minutes after that above call was received. The caller advised he was on scene when he heard the smash and saw two males, one with a hammer in his hand. The males fled and did not gain entry. They were described as wearing all dark clothing with their hoods up and medical masks. If you have any information about this call Constable Emma Turney at 519-824-1212, ext. 7438, or email eturney [at] guelphpolice.ca.
The property manager at an apartment building on Waterloo near Edinburgh reported damage to an exterior window to the laundry room on Monday morning. The screen was pried off and bent, but no entry was gained. If you have any information, call Constable Bernardus Ptok at 519-824-1212, ext. 7552, or email him at bptok [at] guelphpolice.ca.
Drugs
Nothing to report.
Fraud
Police are warning members of the public about “bait and switch” scams on social media. There’s been a noted increase in hoax posts, particularly on Facebook, meant to elicit an emotional response and to be shared widely on the platform. These can include posts about missing children or seniors or lost pets. Users are encouraged to be careful when sharing or otherwise amplifying messages on social media and follow these tips:
- Examine the profile of the original poster to see if there is anything suspicious, for example it was just created or has no followers or people it is following.
- Search for similar posts using the Facebook search tool. Often scammers will use the same text or photos in different geographic locations. If a child is supposedly missing from Guelph, search for their name to see if they have also been reported missing in other cities or even countries.
- Check credible sources. If a post says police are reporting a child missing in Guelph, for example, there should be a post on the Guelph Police Service page. Lack of corroborating evidence should be a red flag.
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 47-year-old Guelph man is charged with impaired operation after police were called to an area near Imperial and Ferman Sunday morning following reports of a man sitting in a running vehicle with his eyes closed. He was showing signs of impairment when he exited the vehicle, slurring his words and having difficulty understanding officers’ questions.
A 50-year-old Guelph man was charged with impaired driving and driving while prohibited Sunday morning after police were called to Willow and Silvercreek for reports of a pickup driving slowly through a parking lot with a large flag flying out the sunroof. Not only did the driver have more than the legal amount of alcohol in his system, he did not have an ignition interlock on his vehicle as he was required to after an earlier impaired driving charge.
Theft
Two people stole a baby stroller from the Woodlawn Walmart on July 12. The male suspect was described as white and wearing a black hoodie with ‘UNBROKEN’ written on the back, grey pants and a bandana covering his hair. The female was described as white with blonde hair and wearing a white hoodie and black pants. Both appeared in their late 20s and were of average height and weight. (See photo, left.) They were seen getting into a red or maroon Toyota SUV driven by a third person. If you have any information, call Detective Sergeant Chris Probst at 519-824-1212, ext. 7342, or email him at cprobst [at] guelphpolice.ca.
Police are looking for two people that stole more than $2,400 worth of cosmetics from a business at Stone Road Mall at 1:40 pm on Tuesday. The first suspect was described as 20-25 years, 5’5”, slim to medium build with black hair with blonde underneath. She was wearing a long tight black dress, black flip flops and a black cross-body bag. The second was a similar age, 5’6”, slim build with curly brown hair. She was wearing a white half-zip top, black biker shorts, white sandals and carrying a large black tote bag. If you have any information, call Constable Scott Srigley at 519-824-1212, ext. 7298, or email him at ssrigley [at] guelphpolice.ca.
A 31-year-old Guelph man was arrested by members of the Guelph Police Service Break Enter Auto Theft Unit this week and charged with motor vehicle theft, dangerous driving, three counts of driving while prohibited and theft under $5,000. The arrest was made in connection to a June incident where a car owner was dragged when someone stole his car from a plaza near Kortright and Ironwood. The vehicle was recovered later that same day northeast of Mount Forest and was completely destroyed by fire.
A 15-year-old Guelph boy was charged with theft under $5,000 last Thursday after stealing a bicycle from a Stone Road Mall business, which he was planning to trade for some vapes.
Traffic
A 39-year-old Guelph man was charged with driving while prohibited and speeding after getting clocked driving a 2021 Mustang travelling 75 kilometres per hour in a posted 50 zone on Wednesday. The Mustang, which is owned by the driver’s employee, was impounded for the mandatory period of 90 days.
An 18-year-old Guelph man was charged with speeding and stunt driving and his licence was suspended for 30 days after a police patrol near Speedvale and Elmira clocked a Lexus travelling 131 kilometres per hour in a posted 60 zone.
A 19-year-old Cambridge man was charged with stunt driving and speeding, plus his licence was suspended for 30 days, after a police patrol on Gordon Street Sunday morning stopped a motorcyclist doing more than twice the speed limit travelling 101 kilometres per hour in a 40 zone.
Other Notes
Guelph Police again reminds you stay on the line if you accidentally call 9-1-1. The service received 54 misdials in 24 hours this week.
Four people – three Guelph men aged 37 to 43 and a 48-year-old Guelph woman – who were all arrested last October and charged with accessory after the fact to murder have been booked on new charges. As a result of the ongoing investigation, the three men have additionally been charged with offering an indignity to a dead body and the woman has been charged with being an accessory after the fact to that same charge. The investigation is ongoing, so if you have any information send an email to 7610 [at] police.guelph.on.ca.
A 29-year-old man was arrested for mischief under $5,000 after a man used a power tool to cut the wires on a welding machine and damage the tires on a bicycle trailer, rendering both inoperable and causing $1,000 in damage to his neighbour’s property.
Total calls for service last week: 1,682
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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