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
Guelph Police are looking for potential victims following the arrest of a 74-year-old Guelph man for sexual assault after he inappropriately touched a woman on a Guelph Transit bus. Investigators believe the same man was involved in two other separate incidents during 2022 and 2023 in which girls aged 12 and 13 reported an older man touching them or speaking inappropriately while riding buses. The man was described as possibly Indian with a long white beard and turban. If you have any information, call Constable Keith Kolodziejczak at 519-824-1212, ext. 7452, email kkolodziejczak [at] guelphpolice.ca.
A 26-year-old Guelph man was charged with assault causing bodily harm for an October 12 incident where an argument between two men got physical. The victim was punched in the face and his jaw was broken.
A 27-year-old man was charged with a count of assaulting police and breaching a probation order last Friday afternoon when he punched a police officer respond to a call at a Stone Road business. This was the second time in two months this man has been changed with assaulting a police officer.
Break-Ins
At approximately 8:15 pm on Wednesday, police were called to a home in the east end where a man heard a bang from the basement. When he went to the basement to investigate he saw wet footprints on the floor and noted a screen had been torn. He believes the intruder heard him upstairs and fled back out the same window. If you have any information about this call Constable Matt Ball at 519-824-1212, ext. 7525, or email mball [at] guelphpolice.ca.
The front doors of a business at Silvercreek and Speedvale were completely torn off during a break-in last Friday morning at 3:40 am. An inner security gate was smashed open and an unknown quantity of Milwaukee power tools and heated clothing were stolen. Video surveillance showed five men arriving at the business in two vehicles; a black Ram pickup later determined to be stolen and a white Hyundai Elantra. Anyone with information is asked to call Constable Jeff Reid at 519-824-1212, ext. 7447, or email jreid [at] guelphpolice.ca.
A 35-year-old Guelph man was charged with break, enter dwelling house with intent to commit indictable offence and two counts of breach probation on Tuesday morning after someone broke into a detached garage at a residence outside downtown. The suspect broke in overnight, rummaged through a motor vehicle, gained entry to an upstairs loft above the garage and was still there at around 6:30 am.
A 35-year-old Guelph man was charged with break, enter dwelling house and breach probation early Monday morning after a woman caught a man breaking into her downtown home. They had a brief verbal exchange and the man left through the back door before police caught up with a short distance away.
Drugs
A 41-year-old Palmerston man was charged with possession of a schedule I substance, operation of a motor vehicle while impaired by drugs, and fail to comply with a judicial release order on Tuesday after police spotted him and a woman sitting in a car in a parking lot near Silvercreek and Speedvale smoking illicit substances from a clear pipe. Further investigation revealed that the man was impaired by drugs and was on conditions not to communicate with the woman. A 29-year-old Guelph woman was also charged with possession of a schedule I substance.
Fraud
A Guelph resident lost $15,000 in an online scam where they received pop-up messages on their computer advising them to contact Microsoft support. When the victim called the number they were warned about the risk of online fraud and they were asked to send money via a global transfer to prevent any fraud from occurring. The victim transferred $15,000 and attempted to transfer an additional $9,000 before their financial institution flagged the transaction as fraudulent and canceled the transfer attempt.
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 22-year-old Puslinch man is charged with impaired operation, and his licence was suspended for 90 days early Saturday after leaving an establishment on Woodlawn West. Witnesses reported that he was driving erratically and almost hit another vehicle while leaving the parking lot.
Theft
Last Saturday just after 8 pm, five adult men entered a business near Paisley and Imperial and stole 30 bottles of alcohol valued at more than $2,300 before leaving the area in a black four-door pick-up truck. The suspects are described as:
1) East Indian, 30-40 years, 5’7”, medium build, wearing a black winter jacket, grey pants, black sneakers and a black turban
2) East Indian, 30-40 years, 5’8”, medium build, wearing a black cap, black jeans and white sneakers
3) 30-40 years, 5’8”, medium build, wearing a black jacket, black toque with grey pom pom, black pants and black sneakers
4) East Indian, 40-50 years, wearing a blue winter jacket, blue jeans, tan boots, black cap and a black backpack
5) East Indian, 30-40 years, 5’7”, medium build, wearing a blue winter coat, black pants, a grey cap and black sneakers
Anyone with any information is asked to contact Constable Scott Srigley at 519-824-1212 ext. 7298, or email him at ssrigley [at] guelphpolice.ca.
Traffic
During the noon hour on Monday, Guelph Police had a pair of encounters with two men in a grey Mazda CX-5 car. They were spotted slumped over in a car in a parking lot near Speedvale and Edinburgh, and when they were spotted a second time police approached the vehicle at which point the men took off at a high rate of speed northbound on Edinburgh. Further investigation revealed that the license plate did not match the vehicle, and the men had been parked in the parking lot since 7:55 am that morning. The men are described as brown, between 30-40 years of age, short black hair, and black facial hair. Both were wearing a black jacket. If you have any information, call Constable Ashton Pilkey at 519-824-1212 ext. 7597, email him at apilkey [at] guelphpolice.ca.
Police are looking for dashcam or other video after a stolen SUV that was involved in a serious collision Monday morning at 4:15 am near Clair and Clairfields. An Acura MDX was heading southbound on Clairfields Drive when it entered the intersection and struck a traffic signal post, knocking it down across the road. The car was heavily-damaged and abandoned on Clair near Gosling Gardens. Investigation revealed the vehicle had been stolen from a nearby home. Anyone with dashcam footage of the area between midnight and 3 am is asked to contact Constable Sebastien Brugma at 519-824-1212, ext. 7593 or email sbrugma [at] guelphpolice.ca.
A 28-year-old Guelph man was charged with nine counts of operation while prohibited, carry concealed weapon, and breach of a weapons prohibition order after police caught a prohibited driver at Silvercreek and Willow. When he was later arrested, a search incident located a functioning gold spring loaded knife concealed in the man’s front waistband.
Other Notes
On Wednesday at approximately 2:35 pm a south end school received a bomb threat from an unknown individual, which prompted a response from uniform and tactical officers, including a lockdown at two different schools. At the same time, the investigative branch was able to determine that the call had originated from an area in the Midwest of the United States. According to the police, agencies in the U.S. have “since taken actions to deal with the matter” based on information they were supplied with. As a result of the investigation the threat was deemed not to be a credible threat to public safety in Guelph.
On Thursday evening, police conducted a compliance check on 28-year-old Guelph man who was on a strict release condition, which included remaining in their residence at all times. Guess what happened next? The man was located and placed under arrest for three counts of failure to comply with judicial release order.
A 22-year-old Guelph woman was arrested for two counts of breaching bail orders on Wednesday evening after she was found in an apartment with a man she was bound by two bail orders not to have contact with temming from previous assault charges.
Total calls for service last week: 1,540
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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