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.
Cold Case
Police are renewing their efforts to finally solve Guelph’s oldest unsolved homicide. At approximately 4 am on August 25, 2005, residents of Elizabeth Street were awakened by a man outside screaming for help. Forty-year-old Gus Fourtounes had been stabbed in the chest. Investigators have gone over the case countless times; interviewing and re-interviewing more than 100 people. Nobody has ever been charged with Fourtounes’ murder. Fourtounes was involved in the city’s drug subculture. Investigators have suspected that others within that circle knew who was responsible but have feared coming forward. Anyone with information is asked to email the Major Crime Unit at mcu [at] guelphpolice.ca
Assault
A 17-year-old Guelph boy was charged with assault with a weapon, possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose and uttering threats last Friday after police were called to Wyndham and Macdonell. A man and woman were yelling at each other across the street when the male began walking towards the victim while lifting his sweater to show a knife in his waistband and uttering a threat.
A 35-year-old Guelph man was charged with three counts of mischief under $5,000 and two counts of assault to resist arrest after midnight on Friday when police were called to a disturbance at a townhouse complex on Janefield Avenue after a caller reported yelling and smashing sounds outside. Officers arrived and found three parked vehicles with broken windows, including one with a golf club piercing the windshield. A suspect came out while officers were speaking to witnesses. When officers tried to arrest him, he punched one officer in the head and grabbed the other’s vest and hands in an effort to prevent the arrest.
Break-Ins
On Thursday morning, police were called to a business near Yorkshire and Suffolk where the owner reported that someone used wire cutters to cut open a grate and gain access to the business. Damage is estimated at $500 and approximately $200 in product was stolen. If you have any information, call Constable Alex Chaves at 519-824-1212, ext. 7351, or email achaves [at] guelphpolice.ca.
On Thursday, a 37-year-old Guelph woman was arrested for break and enter and breaching a probation order for a July 26 call to an address near Edinburgh and Speedvale. Someone had damaged the lock on a shed to gain access and rummaged around, but nothing appeared missing. The suspect was then caught on security video attempting to enter the home but was unsuccessful.
Drugs
Two Guelph men and three Guelph women face a series of drug, weapons and property charges after police executed search warrants at two homes and a storage locker in the west end earlier this summer. Officers seized more than $120,000 worth of drugs including fentanyl, crystal meth, cocaine, psilocybin and Hydromorphone, plus nearly $10,000 in cash, weapons including a crossbow, nunchucks, pellet guns and knives, and stolen property including expensive bicycles. (See above.)
A 17-year-old Guelph boy was charged with two counts each of possession for the purpose of trafficking and possessing a controlled substance Tuesday night after a report about a suspicious vehicle on Dawson Road. While speaking to the occupants, officers observed open alcohol inside the vehicle and the four were asked to step out for further investigation. Quantities of suspected crystal methamphetamine, cocaine and prescription opioids were recovered. A 19-year-old Guelph man was also charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking.
Fraud
On Monday evening police were called to an east-end home where a 15-year-old boy said he had been contacted by a stranger on Snapchat – who he believed to be a female – and started talking when he was asked to send an intimate image of himself, which he did. He then immediately began receiving messages demanding payment or the image would be shared with his contacts on various social media platforms. No money was sent. Guelph Police remind you that intimate images should not be shared online, as they can be saved and redistributed at any time. If someone requests such images – especially someone not personally known to you – do not comply and cease communicating with them.
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 43-year-old Kitchener man was charged with impaired driving, dangerous driving, assault police, flight from police and several Highway Traffic Act offences early Thursday morning after police were patrolling on Silvercreek South. A man was observed slumped over behind the wheel of a stopped vehicle, removed from the vehicle by the officer who was then shoved the officer and was able to get back in the car and flee. The vehicle was followed for more than a kilometre before coming to a stop in a plaza parking lot. He refused to exit the vehicle, requiring police to smash a window to get him out and prevent him from driving again.
A 63-year-old Guelph man was charged with impaired driving early Wednesday morning after workers at a drive-thru on Victoria and York called about a possible impaired driver who was later observed by police driving over two orange pylons to enter a parking space. He had more than twice the legal amount of alcohol in his system.
A 25-year-old Cornwall man was charged with impaired driving and breaching a probation order early Sunday morning after staff of an establishment on Woodlawn West saw a man walking to his truck and attempted to stop him from driving. The man got into the driver’s seat and started the vehicle before opening the door and vomiting on the ground.
Theft
On Wednesday, officers attended a business near Speedvale and Elmira where an employee reported that a cube van he parked on the property had the lock on the van’s roll-up door smashed off and that $35,000 in Milwaukee tools were taken. If you have any information, call Constable Jessica Belcastro at 519-824-1212, ext. 7287, or email jbelcastro [at] guelphpolice.ca.
At approximately 1:35 pm on Tuesday, a Guelph man reported his cards missing from his locked locker at a south-end gym and then used to make $650 in purchases from two nearby businesses. This is the second time this happened in as many days. If you have any information, call Constable Liam O’Hanlon at 519-824-1212, ext. 7608, or email lohanlon [at] guelphpolice.ca.
A 25-year-old Guelph man was charged with robbery, possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose, carrying a concealed weapon and unauthorized possession of a weapon for an incident Monday morning near Gordon and Wellington. A man had entered the business while waving a hammer in the air. He stole a bottle of alcohol and walked out while continuing to wave the hammer. During a search, police found a second hammer, several knives, a plastic BB gun and two small knives with exposed blades attached to a necklace under his clothes.
Theft (Auto)
On Wednesday morning, police received calls from two businesses in the industrial area near Silvercreek and Woodlawn where four catalytic converters – valued at approximately $1,000 each – were stolen from work vehicles. Security video showed a white sedan entering both properties at approximately 3 am where a male dressed all in black was seen walking to the areas where the work trucks were parked. If you have any information, call Constable Peter Gatto at pgatto [at] guelphpolice.ca.
Last Friday morning, a Guelph man called police after noticing his gold 2005 GMC Jimmy XR2 SUV had been stolen from the parking lot of his workplace near Laird and Hanlon Creek Boulevard. If you have any information call Sergeant Chris Probst at 519-824-1212, ext. 7342, or email cprobst [at] guelphpolice.ca.
Just before midnight last Saturday, a Cambridge woman called to report her white 2022 Toyota Corolla was stolen from the parking lot of the Galaxy Cinema on Woodlawn while she was watching a movie. if you have any information, call Special Constable Allie Johnston at 519-824-1212, ext. 7457, or email ajohnston [at] guelphpolice.ca.
On Sunday night, just before 11 pm, a Guelph man reported his black 2015 Toyota RAV4 had been stolen from the parking lot of an apartment building near Willow and Alma. If you have any information, call Constable Sherry Pettapiece at 519-824-1212, ext. 7479, or email spettapiece [at] guelphpolice.ca.
A 33-year-old Guelph man was charged with possessing stolen property over $5,000, possessing stolen property under $5,000, possessing a controlled substance, possessing break-in instruments and careless storage of ammunition last week. This following an investigation into a stolen Mazda which had been involved in a single-vehicle collision in July, which was tied to a man already under investigation in relation to property crimes throughout the city. Police recovered break-in instruments and a small quantity of suspected crystal meth plus stolen identification, banking cards and ammunition.
Traffic
At approximately 3:20 pm on Friday, emergency services were called to the intersection of Elmira and Massey after a cyclist died in a collision with a garbage truck. A 37-year-old man was declared deceased at the scene. The operator of the garbage truck was not physically injured. Anyone who witnessed the collision or has dashcam footage – and has not yet spoken to police – is asked to call Constable Andrew Hildebrandt at 519-824-1212, ext. 7263, or email ahildebrandt [at] guelphpolice.ca.
Other Notes
On August 13, the owner of two buildings on Wyndham near Cork reported that they had both had been vandalized with black spray paint. The suspects had even used a ladder to spray high up on the back of the building. Several suspects were caught on security video. (See photo, right.) Anyone with information or who recognizes the individuals in the photos is asked to call Constable Todd Van Iersel at 519-824-1212, ext. 7557, email tvaniersel [at] guelphpolice.ca.
A 37-year-old was charged with prowling near a dwelling, obstructing police, failing to comply with a bail order and breach of probation on Monday after police observed a woman trying to enter a side entrance of the building near Woolwich and Speedvale. When stopped by police, she gave a fake name but police discovered she is on a bail order with conditions not to attend the apartment building, and she was also charged for the incident last month where $2,000 in damage was done to the same building.
At approximately 4:40 am on Monday, emergency services were called for a fire at the end of James Street East. Officers arrived to find a wooden pallet which had garbage and cardboard piled on top and then set ablaze. The Guelph Fire Department arrived a short time later and quickly doused the flames. Officers checked the area and found two abandoned encampments nearby but did not locate anyone in the area. Anyone with information is asked to call Constable Erik Ugarte-Bravo at 519-824-1212, ext. 7365, or email eugarte-bravo [at] guelphpolice.ca.
Total calls for service last week: 1,671
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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