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 24-year-old Guelph man was charged with carrying a concealed weapon, three counts of possessing a weapon while prohibited, possessing a controlled substance, obstructing police and two counts of breaching court orders last Saturday afternoon. As police were investigating a possible robbery on Quebec Street, they were approached by a man angry that police were talking to witnesses, and it turned out that he was involved in the original incident. A search revealed a collapsible baton in his waistband and suspected morphine.
Break-Ins
Staff were called to a west-end daycare at 7 am on Monday after staff arrived to find a rear door unlocked. Several laptops and chargers were reported stolen. Later that afternoon, police saw two men with the laptops at a downtown social services agency and they claimed that they had found the laptops discarded in a bag. The investigation is ongoing.
A 56-year-old Guelph man was arrested for possessing stolen property and possessing a controlled substance in connection to a break-in at a student house on Cole Road last Saturday morning. Items taken included a MacBook, two gaming systems and the keys to an Acura TL were taken, and so was the Acura, which was tracked to a nearby apartment building. The man was arrested in possession of some stolen property as well as suspected fentanyl. The man believed to be responsible for the break-in has not yet been located.
A 44-year-old Guelph man was charged with break and enter, possessing a controlled substance and two counts each of breaching probation and failing to attend court on Monday night after police saw the man wanted for a break-in at a Woodlawn Road business last week. He was taken into custody after a brief foot chase.
A 53-year-old Guelph man was charged with seven counts of break and enter, three counts of failing to comply with an undertaking and possessing stolen property following a separate arrest for break and enter in the west end late last month. When the suspect was taken into custody, he was found with a large suitcase with property that’s since been tied to incidents that resulted in approximately $10,000 in theft and damages.
Drugs
A 49-year-old Guelph man was arrested Friday and charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking after a quantity of crystal meth was seized following a months-long investigation into the trafficking of crystal meth locally.
Fraud
Police are investigating multiple reports that there are fraudulent service promotions from individuals claiming to work for either Rogers or Bell with some people receiving both a phone call and a visit to their home in person. The scammer offers victims a discount or lower rates, and they use convincing stories to collect as much personal information from victims as possible, and afterward victims find their legitimate Rogers or Bell account details have been changed and personal information compromised. A man involved in the scam had been described as in his 30s, brown-skinned, carrying a notebook, with a slight East-Indian accent, cleanly dressed, and driving a four-door white sedan.
On Thursday at around 5 pm, an unknown man knocked on a victim’s door, stating they owed $4,500 on a loan they had taken from the government. Before the victim could respond, the man entered the residence, sat at the kitchen table, and refused to leave until the victim gave him a cheque for the above-mentioned amount. The man, who was seen leaving in a white two-door Toyota car, is described as a white male, 5’4”, having black bushy hair and wearing jeans and a black jacket with white lettering/logo “AC”. If you have any information, call Constable Geoffrey Hiebert at 519-824-1212, ext. 7290, email him at ghiebert [at] guelphpolice.ca.
Police are investigating after the owner of a lost pet was the apparent victim of an extortion attempt. On Monday, a south end resident received a text from someone claiming to have their missing cat and demanding payment in exchange for a photo proving his claim. The owner asked to meet in person and promised to pay the reward for the cat’s return, but the unknown man claimed he had given the cat away and stopped responding. An officer tried to call and text the unknown person’s phone and received a message that it is now out of service. The investigation is ongoing.
A 39-year-old Grey County man was charged with fraud under $5,000 for charging more than $2,000 in building supplies to his employer’s company account last fall.
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 40-year-old man was charged wit operation while impaired, operation while impaired – 80 plus, and operation while prohibited – ignition interlock condition Wednesday night after police clocked him drifting between lanes doing 100 kilometres per hour in a 70 zone near Wellington and Imperial.
A 33-year-old Guelph man is charged with refusing to provide a breath sample and his licence was suspended for 90 days last Saturday afternoon when police were notified about a vehicle driving erratically.
Theft
On Tuesday at 7:24 pm at a store on Woodlawn East, three women entered along with two young children and began putting electronics, houseware, candy, and deodorants into their bags and purses. When approached by a store employee, the women and the kids escaped in a newer black Ford Escape. The women are described as (1) medium build, blonde hair, in the 40s, grey hoodie, white pants, red shoes; (2) medium build, brown hair, in the 30s, light blue hoodie, pink pants, red shoes; and (3), medium build, brown hair, in the 20s, white top with white and blue jacket, grey pants, white shoes. The two children were believed to be approximately 2 and 4 years of age. If you have any information, call Constable Todd Van Iersel at 519-824-1212, ext. 7557, or email him at tvaniersel [at] guelphpolice.ca.
A 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander was stolen from the driveway of an east-end residence sometime between Wednesday at 5:30 pm and Thursday at 5 am. The Highlander is described as white in colour, with no distinguishing features, except for a custom license plate. Anyone with information is asked to call the Guelph Police Service at 519-824-1212.
Last Friday evening, a Guelph man reported his grey 2014 Toyota Corolla had been stolen while visiting a friend near Willow Road and Bagot Street. A spare key was left in the vehicle.
At approximately 4:25 am last Saturday morning, a resident near York and Victoria reported that his blue 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser was missing. He had been awakened by his car alarm and looked outside to find the vehicle missing. Broken glass was discovered at the scene.
At 1:25 am on Sunday, a resident near Gordon and Lowes woke up and realized her grey 2024 Lexus RX was missing from the driveway. A neighbours’ surveillance cameras caught three men in the area attempting to enter vehicles before the stolen Lexus is seen driving away.
Two Toronto men, aged 41 and 26, are charged with theft under $5,000, and one of the men was already facing charges related to a similar incident in Guelph earlier this year. This time, a business owner on on Southgate Drive Sunday night observed on camera three men placing aluminum pallets into their van. They were able to load five 300-pound pallets before officers arrived.
A 34-year-old Caledon man was charged with possessing stolen property over $5,000 Sunday afternoon after an automated licence plate reader alerted officers to a stolen 2024 Mercedes AMG.
Traffic
Just after 9 pm on Tuesday, a witness reported a white sedan had struck a light post at Silvercreek and Willow Road, then the driver reversed and went northbound to the Tim Hortons drive-through near Speedvale Avenue West. The involved vehicle was believed to be a Kia Optima four-door sedan which was white with a black roof. It sustained heavy front-end damage. If you recognize the vehicle or has more information, call Constable Tim Paneghel at 519-824-1212, ext. 7529, or email tpaneghel [at] guelphpolice.ca.
Other Notes
A 25-year-old Guelph woman was arrested on Thursday, for publication of intimate images without consent. The victim reported to police that the woman had taken a screenshot of an intimate image off a common partner’s phone and posted it to Instagram without their consent.
Total calls for service last week: 1,598
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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