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
A 23-year-old Guelph man was charged with three counts of assaulting police and making a false alarm of fire for two separate incidents at a group home near Woolwich and Cardigan on Wednesday.
A 39-year-old Guelph man was further charged with possessing a prohibited weapon, carrying a concealed weapon and unauthorized possession of a weapon last Friday after police patrolling on Silvercreek North spotted a man who was wanted for missing an August court date on charges including break and enter and driving while prohibited. He had a set of brass knuckles in his pocket.
A 35-year-old Guelph woman was charged with assault, assault with a weapon, administering a noxious substance and mischief under $5,000 after turning themselves into police for an incident last Tuesday. The suspect got into a physical confrontation with two other women in a basement apartment when bear spray was deployed in the face of one of the victims.
Two Guelph boys aged 16 and 15 were arrested for possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose, uttering threats and prowling near a dwelling after police were called to an address near Starwood and Grange after midnight Sunday. A teen reported that he had been received threatening messages on social media and that five other teens had shown up at his home with weapons. A pick-up truck was pulled over nearby and officers observed a black pellet gun between the front seats.
Break-Ins
Just after 9 am on Monday, police were called to a business near Gordon and Wellington after staff arrived to discover the break-in. Surveillance video showed a male forcing open the rear door just before 5 am and then grabbing a register plus a tablet and phone and fleeing one-minute later. The suspect was wearing a black coat and pants, white toque and gloves. Anyone with information is asked to call Constable Christian Godin at 519-824-1212, ext. 7288, or email cgodin [at] guelphpolice.ca.
Just after 4 pm on Tuesday, a resident near Willow and Rhonda reportedly arrived home after work to find his house had been entered by forcing open a rear door. Cash, gift cards and the homeowner’s passport were reported stolen. If you have any information, call Constable Caitlin Robinson at 519-824-1212, ext. 7604, or email crobinson [at] guelphpolice.ca.
On Thursday police were called to a house under renovation near Gordon and James, where the owner arrived to find a rear door had been forced open. Drills and a quantity of electrical wiring were stolen. Anyone with information is asked to call Constable Ashton Pilkey at 519-824-1212, ext. 7597, or email apilkey [at] guelphpolice.ca.
Drugs
Nothing to report.
Fraud
At around 10:30 pm on Tuesday, a taxi driver noticed the rooftop sign had been stolen from her cab while it was parked on Macdonell Street. Since then, police have received three different reports about a fake taxi, a black SUV – possibly a Toyota RAV4 – with the yellow sign on the roof, approaching people in parking lots and running the “taxi scam” on them: the driver would not accept cash and asked the victim to use their debit card to cover the fare in exchange for cash. In two instances, the passengers had their debit card swapped and fake ones. In one case the victim’s bank account was immediately cleared out at a nearby ATM. A white Cadillac SUV and a man wearing all black clothing with some white designs was seen stealing the sign, while the “taxi” drivers have been described as possibly Indian or Middle Eastern, in their late 20s or early 30s. Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Sergeant Brandon MacKenzie at 519-824-1212, ext. 7202, email bmackenzie [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 on Thursday night after two cars stopped on Stephanie Drive; one had been following the other near Paisley and Imperial honking its horn. Both parties claimed that the other was the aggressor, but one one of them ended up testing positive for having more than the legal amount of alcohol in their system. The road rage incident remains under investigation so anyone who witnessed it is asked to call Constable Karson Massey at 519-824-1212, ext. 7594, or email kmassey [at] guelphpolice.ca.
Theft
On Saturday March 15, a resident near Arkell and Amos reported a theft from his home. At approximately 9 am, a man parked a white Hyundai Venue in the driveway and took a package from the porch containing a watch band and other items with a value of $60. The suspect was described as a white male with a medium build. He was wearing a red ‘Crooks’ hoodie, black sweatpants, black sneakers and a black and red hat. The vehicle was determined to have fake licence plates attached. The same car was spotted the next morning at 2:45 am in the area of Edinburgh and Wilsonview and was last seen on College heading towards the Hanlon. Anyone with information is asked to call Constable Andrew Kamenz at 519-824-1212, ext. 7566, or email akamenz [at] guelphpolice.ca.
A 32-year-old Guelph man was arrested for 13 counts of theft under $5,000 and three counts of occupying a stolen motor vehicle for stealing $11,200 worth of alcohol from various LCBO locations in Guelph between May and August last year. He was already in custody on unrelated matters.
A Toyota Tundra stolen from Guelph in February was recovered as it was about to be shipped out of the country. A black 2024 Tundra taken during the early hours of February 1 from a driveway near Willow and Marksam was recovered at the Port of Montreal.
A 37-year-old Brampton man was charged with theft under $5,000 for a December 2 theft of approximately $3,500 worth of tool from a Woodlawn West business. The investigation is ongoing because police are still looking for another two men connected to the crime.
On Friday, a 20-year-old Guelph woman attended the police station and was arrested for theft under $5,000 for stealing cash 17 times between December and February when she was an employee at a Woodlawn West business. The total loss was approximately $850.
A 41-year-old Guelph-Eramosa man was charged with break and enter, possession of stolen property over $5,000, possession of stolen property under $5,000 x 2, mischief under $5,000, theft under $5,000, unauthorized use of a credit card x 2, possession of identity documents and disguise with intent. This follows an investigation of several property crimes including a break-in at a south-end home in which jewellery and electronics worth approximately $10,000 were stolen as well as the remains of the family pet. A 33-year-old Guelph-Eramosa woman was also charged with possession of stolen property under $5,000, possession of identity documents and breach of probation. Police are still trying to identify the other owners of the recovered property, so if you believe any of this property belongs to you, please contact Detective Constable Cam McKeen at cmckeen [at] guelphpolice.ca.
Traffic
A 39-year-old Kitchener man faces charges including motor vehicle theft, possessing stolen property over $5,000, dangerous driving, impaired driving, failing to stop after an accident and driving while prohibited. On Wednesday morning, a silver Cadillac sedan travelling at a high speed on Gosling Gardens drove through a stop sign before the driver lost control, struck two vehicles parked in a driveway and then struck and uprooted a tree before coming to rest on its side. Investigation revealed the vehicle had been reported stolen from Waterloo Region earlier in the morning, and officers believe that the male driver was impaired based on the presence of used drug paraphernalia in the vehicle.
A 51-year-old Guelph woman was charged with driving while prohibited Thursday morning after a police patrol saw a vehicle parked near Woolwich and Speedvale, and the driver was required to have an ignition interlock device on her vehicle as a result of an earlier impaired driving conviction. She hadn’t done that, but it was okay because she was “just dropping off cigarettes for a friend.”
A 40-year-old Guelph man was charged with driving while suspended, failing to comply with a release order and possessing a controlled substance just after 3 am on Tuesday. Officers tried to talk to a man who parked in a lot near Dawson and Shelldale and determined he’s a suspended driver, and is also bound by a bail order with a condition not to drive. He was arrested and found with a small amount of suspected meth.
Other Notes
No charges will be laid in relation to a threat that shut down a Guelph school last week as the person responsible is under the age of 12. On Friday morning, police were called to an elementary school in the north-end after staff reported that they had received a threatening voicemail overnight. Students and staff were evacuated to another nearby school for the day as the investigation unfolded. Officers determined that the phone used to leave the message belonged to a teenager and they spoke to the child and his mother to explain the seriousness of his actions. Due to his age no charges will be laid.
Total calls for service last week: 1,511
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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