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
Just after 7 pm on Thursday, a woman was leaving a business near Norfolk and Paisley when she was approached by a man She was wearing Airpods and did not clearly hear what he said, but he was probably asking for money. After she got in her car she noticed he was holding a knife and waving it around. The male was described as white, late 30s or early 40s, 6’2” with a slim build and wearing a white jacket with black cuffs and jeans.If you have any information, call Constable Rich Maclean at 519-824-1212, ext. 7503, or email rmaclean [at] guelphpolice.ca.
A 41-year-old Guelph man was charged with assault police, mischief under $5,000 and failing to attend court after police picked him up downtown Wednesday morning on a warrant. While at the station he was being escorted to a cell when he spat on two computer screens used to monitor activities in the cell area. He also grabbed the food that had been provided for lunch and threw it at an officer.
On Tuesday, a 15-year-old Cambridge boy was arrested for assault and theft under $5,000 for a September 22 incident where a woman and three children were in a Stone Road business and stole $500 worth of product and injured an employee that tried to stop them.
A 28-year-old Guelph man is charged with carrying a concealed weapon, assault with a weapon, possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose, uttering threats and 10 counts of breaching a probation order after pulling a knife on an employee of a downtown business Monday morning. An altercation occurred when the employee asked the man, who was already banned from the business, to leave.
Break-Ins
Police were called at 5:35 pm Tuesday to a business near Baker and Chapel Lane where a man had been inside the business earlier, then came back after the owner closed for the day. He used a chunk of concrete to smash an exterior window and gain access to a lobby, then he used his bare hand to smash an interior window, cutting himself in the process. Entry was not gained, but there was over $2,000 in damage done. The suspect was described as a white male with a thin build and blonde or dirty brown hair and light facial hair. He was wearing a black V-neck shirt, black sweatpants, black and white sandals and a light grey Nike baseball cap. If you have any information call Constable Emma Turney at 519-824-1212, ext. 7438, or email eturney [at] guelphpolice.ca.
Drugs
Nothing to report.
Fraud
The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre has received reports of various extortion letters received via email. The extortion letters contain the full name, personal telephone number, personal residential address as well as a screenshot from search engines of the recipient’s residence. The extortion letter claims that the recipient has visited explicit websites and threatens to send a copy of a video to the recipient’s contact list unless payment via cryptocurrency is made. A variation of the letter contains a QR Code.
Based on the reports received, victims have not used the service which fraudsters are mentioning. Similar to other extortion scams, fraudsters are attempting to scare victims into sending funds. Anyone who has received a similar violent extortion message should report it to their local police immediately. After contacting local police and the CAFC.
Police are looking for help identifying a woman as part of an ongoing fraud investigation. On September 18, a business near Victoria and Grange reported a customer had returned an item and received a refund of $130 but the package did not contain the actual item supposedly being returned. The suspect was described as an Asian female with black hair and wearing a grey t-shirt and baseball cap. Anyone who recognizes this woman to the left, call Constable Todd Van Iersel at 519-824-1212, ext. 7557 or email tvaniersel [at] guelphpolice.ca.
Police have received several reports of residents receiving texts purportedly from the Canada Revenue Agency and claiming pension and Old Age Security payments have been placed on hold due to an error in the recipient’s tax return. The text includes links to realistic-looking CRA and banking websites and asks the recipient to enter personal information to resolve the issue. On its website, the Canada Revenue Agency confirms this is a scam and urges anyone receiving such a text to ignore it and not reply or click on any links.
A Guelph woman in her 20s told police on Thursday that she had received a call from someone claiming to be from Canada Post and alleging the victim was under investigation for money laundering. She was told to clear her name she needed to withdraw cash from her bank and send it via Bitcoin, and that she would later be reimbursed by police. She deposited $4,950 into a Bitcoin ATM, and then the suspects asked the victim to purchase Apple gift cards. Guelph Police reminds you that no police officer or government official will ever instruct you to purchase and send gift cards or submit payment via Bitcoin.
A 40-year-old Guelph Man called police Saturday morning after losing $112,000 in a crypto scheme. In July, he saw a Facebook advertisement for a cryptocurrency investment firm. He spoke to a male on the phone and paid $350 to set up an account with the supposed investment firm. After despoiling the money, he noticed last month that his balance was showing zero, and then he received an email advising him that his money could be recovered if he deposited an additional $25,000. He declined and contacted police instead.
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 25-year-old Brampton woman is charged with impaired operation, and her licence was suspended for 90 days after a resident near Marlborough and Speedvale reported that a vehicle had been stopped in front of his house for more than 10 minutes and was parked within inches of his vehicle early Tuesday morning. The driver had nearly four times the legal amount of alcohol in her system.
An 18-year-old Guelph man is charged with impaired driving and failing to remain at a collision early on Sunday morning after a Nissan SUV travelling eastbound on Stone left the roadway and collided with two traffic light posts after the driver lost. The driver fled on foot but was located a short distance away. Damage was estimated at more than $30,000 and Stone Road West was closed for approximately 12 hours as crews worked to replace the damaged poles.
A 37-year-old Guelph man is charged with impaired driving and failing to remain at a collision when police were called to a hit and run collision on Paisley Road early last Saturday. A witness reported a loud bang near Bagot Street, and responding officers discovered an SUV with fresh damage. Twenty minutes later, officers checking the area located a pickup with significant front-end damage.
Theft
A resident near Goodwin and Beaver Meadow called police Tuesday morning after discovering a broken window on his 2024 Toyota Tundra. The thieve left the scene after noticing an anti-theft device on the steering wheel. This is the sixth report of a theft or attempted theft of Toyota trucks in Guelph since August. If you have any information, call Detective Sergeant Chris Probst at 519-824-1212, ext. 7342, or email cprobst [at] guelphpolice.ca.
A red 1977 Chevy El Camino was parked at a west end business on September 29 as the owner headed out for his trucking route, and when he returned Friday his vehicle was gone. If you have any information, call Constable John Hunt at 519-824-1212, ext. 7359, email jhunt [at] guelphpolice.ca.
A Guelph man visiting his wife’s grave on Sunday at Woodlawn Memorial Park came back to where he parked his grey 2007 Kia Magentis and it had been stolen. Another visitor to the cemetery reported she saw a man described as a white male in his 20s, tall with a heavy build and short black hair and wearing a yellow sweatshirt and a black satchel bag over his shoulder get into the car and drive away. If you have any information, call Constable Andrew Cooper at 519-824-1212, ext. 7558, or email acooper [at] guelphpolice.ca.
Just after 1:30 am on Sunday, a resident near Carrington and Lovett reported his blue 2023 Toyota Tundra pickup had just been stolen from his driveway after the passenger-side window was smashed. This after someone had previously tried to steal the same car on September 11. If you have any information, call Special Constable Amanda Chalmers at 519-824-1212, ext. 7516, or email achalmers [at] guelphpolice.ca.
Traffic
Guelph Police are seeking witnesses to a collision Friday night. At approximately 9:30 pm, a grey Kia SUV and a white Toyota SUV collided at the intersection of Gordon and Arkell causing significant damage to both vehicles. Three occupants were transported to hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Anyone who witnessed the collision or has dashcam footage is asked to contact Constable Michael Powell at mpowell [at] guelphpolice.ca.
At approximately 11:45 p.m. emergency services were called to Speedvale between Silvercreek and Dawson after a pickup and transport truck collided head-on, with the driver of the pickup becoming trapped in his crushed vehicle. A man in his 50s was extricated from the pickup and transported to a Hamilton trauma centre with serious but non-life threatening injuries. A section of Speedvale was closed for several hours as crews worked to clean up spilled fluids from the vehicles.
An 88-year-old Guelph man was charged with failing to yield to a pedestrian after a woman in her 40s was struck by a vehicle while walking across the street at a crosswalk at Woolwich and Woodlawn. She had no obvious injuries but was transported to hospital for assessment.
Two pedestrians were treated for minor injuries after being struck by vehicles in separate collisions on Wednesday, one in front of the Metro store in the south end where a woman was hit by a reversing vehicle and knocked to the ground, and the other at crosswalk on Gordon and College. It that second case, a 35-year-old Guelph man was charged with failing to yield to a pedestrian.
A 57-year-old Mississauga man was charged with failing to yield to a pedestrian on Tuesday after a man was crossing at Imperial and Woodlawn when he was struck by a pickup truck turning left. He sustained a minor injury but did not require medical treatment.
Also on Tuesday, officers were called to the intersection of Eramosa and Metcalfe for reports of a vehicle that had been driving on the wrong side of Eramosa before colliding with an unoccupied vehicle. It is believed the driver was experiencing a medical condition which caused him to lose control.
On Sunday, a 95-year-old from Guelph-Eramosa Township was charged with careless driving causing death for the September 26 incident where a 72-year-old Guelph woman suffered severe injuries resulting in death and a 74-year-old Guelph man sustained minor injuries in a vehicular collision while walking across the parking lot.
Other Notes
Just after 2:30 pm on Sunday, a Guelph woman reported that she was walking with her two young daughters when she observed a man at the back of a school near Watson and Couling with his shorts down and masturbating. He was described as white, in his 20s, average height and build and wearing red shorts, a grey t-shirt and a green hat. He had a basketball with him. If you have any information, call Constable Rob Smith at 519-824-1212, ext. 7388, email rsmith [at] guelphpolice.ca.
On Friday afternoon a 49-year-old Guelph man was arrested downtown and charged with mischief over $5,000 for an incident last month where someone twice threw a rock, smashing a large stained glass window. The damage is estimated at $9,000.
Total calls for service last week: 1,537
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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