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.
Homicide
On Tuesday officers attended an address on Woolwich near Speedvale to check the wellbeing of a tenant, but what they found was a 51-year-old man who was unresponsive and pronounced deceased on scene by paramedics. The post-mortem determined that the death was a homicide. A 25-year-old man of no fixed address, who was already in custody on unrelated matters, has been charged with second-degree murder. It is believed the victim died on or about October 21, but if you have any information contact the Major Crime Unit at mcu@guelphpolice.ca.
Assault
At approximately 1:35 am Sunday, police were called to Edinburgh Road South for reports of a male in a vehicle being assaulted. He told police that he was transporting passengers when another vehicle began following him and flashing his high beams. The victim, who is in his 70s, pulled over and a man from the other vehicle approached his window, claiming he was a former passenger in the Uber and had left his phone in the car. When the victim asked for more information he was repeatedly assaulted. The assailant also kicked the car door, causing a large dent.The suspect was described as possibly east Asian and wearing a plaid shirt and dark jeans. He was driving a black SUV. If you have any information, call Constable Louis Kittel at 519-824-1212, ext. 7589, email lkittel [at] guelphpolice.ca.
An 18-year-old Guelph man was charged with two counts of assault with a weapon, possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose, discharging an air pistol with intent to injure, obstructing police and failing to comply with an undertaking after shooting a pellet gun into a crowd of young people on Wednesday evening. The suspect approached the crowd despite the fact that he was on conditions not to associate with a woman there. He was asked to leave and that’s when he came back with the pellet gun. One man was struck close to the eye and another was hit twice in the back. Neither sought medical attention.
An 18-year-old Oakville man was arrested this week for assault causing bodily harm for an incident where a bottle was thrown in the air towards a crowd at a gathering on the University of Guelph campus in September. One person was struck in the head sustaining a concussion and requiring stitches at Guelph General Hospital. The suspect is not a U of G student.
A 19-year-old Guelph man was charged with possessing a prohibited weapon and three counts of failing to comply with orders after he was observed with a knife on the bus last Saturday. He was detained by the Campus Safety Office at the U of G after the driver reported that he was repeatedly opening and closing a folding knife. Officers determined that the suspect was bound by several court orders not to possess weapons.
Break-Ins
A 36-year-old Guelph woman was charged with break and enter and trespassing by night after trying to enter a home near Ptarmigan and Niska, which was foiled by tenants in the basement unit. The suspect was later caught on security camera walking around a property on Niska before she was found hiding in a shrub. Residents of Ptarmigan Drive, Niska Road, Tanager Drive and Trendell Lane are asked to check their cameras and report anything suspicious to Constable Matt Jotham at 519-824-1212, ext. 7434, or via email to mjotham [at] guelphpolice.ca.
A 35-year-old Guelph man is charged with break and enter, possessing break-in instruments, possessing stolen property, failing to comply with a release order and possessing more than 30 grams of cannabis after police responded to a call near Norfolk and Quebec Thursday morning. Police spotted the suspect trying to break into a mechanical room at a parking garage near Norfolk and Quebec. Officers located a crowbar, side cutters, a knife in a sheath and a bag containing 65 grams of cannabis, all in a folding wagon that had been stolen from the parking garage.
Drugs
A 38-year-old female and a 53-year-old male were observed in the area of Yarmouth Street to be in possession of drug paraphernalia and a suspected controlled substance.
A search found the couple to be in possession of several controlled substances.
Fraud
At approximately 11:00 pm on Tuesday, a Guelph resident attended a bank on Woodlawn Road, where a conversation took place with another man at the ATM inside the bank. After the conversation, it was discovered that the man had switched debit cards with the victim during the conversation. The switched debit card was later used at multiple locations throughout the city for a total of $2,600. The suspect is described as an Asian Male, 40-50 years of age. He goes by “Mr. Wong” and he was wearing a white baseball hat. If you any information call Constable Andrew Kamenz at 519-824-1212, ext. 7566, email him at akamenz [at] guelphpolice.ca.
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 27-year-old Guelph man is charged with impaired driving, dangerous driving and novice driver having alcohol in his body last Saturday morning. Emergency services were called after it was reported that a Toyota Rav4 was on its side near Suffolk and Yorkshire. The driver was stuck inside and a test determined he had more than the legal amount of alcohol in his system.
A 17-year-old Essex County man was charged with impaired driving and dangerous driving early Sunday morning when a Toyota SUV was attempting to turn around when it was struck by a Ford pick-up, causing extensive damage to both vehicles but luckily no serious injuries on the U of G campus.
Theft
The door of a Bobcat Skid Steer valued at approximately $3,000-$4,000 was stolen. It’s believed that the door was stolen from the equipment sometime last weekend while it was parked on Carden Street. If you have any information call Constable Briar Smith at 519-824-1212, ext. 7349, email her at bjsmith [at] guelphpolice.ca.
Approximately $1,600 in merchandise was taken from a business near the intersection of Paisley and Elmira Tuesday morning at 11:25 am. A man was observed on CCTV taking items from the store shelf, placing them in a reusable shopping bag, and exiting the store making no attempts to pay for the items. He’s described as wearing grey pants, a dark blue Adidas top with white stripes on the arms, white sneakers, and having a black moustache and black hair The male we described as 25-30 years of age, with a medium build. If you have any information, call Constable Jonathan Schleen at 519-824-1212, ext. 7570, email him at jschleen [at] guelphpolice.ca.
At approximately 9:40 am on Sunday, a resident of the east end reported that his grey 2015 Chevrolet Equinox was stolen from outside his home sometime overnight. Anyone with information is asked to call Constable Richard Towlson at 519-824-1212, ext. 7158, or email rtowlson [at] guelphpolice.ca.
Just before noon on Sunday, an officer was patrolling the area of Willow and Dawson when the cruiser’s automated licence plate reader alerted him to a stolen vehicle in a parking lot. Investigation revealed the silver Dodge Grand Caravan had been stolen in late October from Waterloo Region.
A 50-year-old male was charged with theft under $5,000 arrested early Wednesday morning while being in possession of an electric bicycle that had been stolen Tuesday afternoon from an address near Paisley and Norfolk.
Traffic
A 37-year-old man was charged with Careless Driving Cause Bodily Harm, under the Highway Traffic Ac t after a 23-year-old woman was struck by a motor vehicle while crossing at the pedestrian crossover on Edinburgh near Manor Park. The woman was airlifted to St Micheals Hospital in Toronto to receive treatment for her injuries sustained in the accident.
Other Notes
A 34-year-old Guelph man turned himself in to police on Thursday and was charged with obstructing justice for an August 2023 incident where he confronted a witness in a case against him.
On Monday a 59-year-old Guelph man was arrested for 12 counts of mischief under $5,000 for several incidents between August 30 and October 15 in the Gosling Gardens and Gordon Street area where the tires on their vehicle were damaged. The total damage was more than $5,200 and four of the six victims were targeted more than once.
Total calls for service last week: 1,620
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 