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
On August 29, 47-year-old Cambridge man, Trevor Bettschen, who had already been charged with sexual assault and forcible confinement in March, was further charged in connection with a second adult victim. According to police, Bettschen deliberately targets individuals associated with the sex trade, and that he used a a 2020 Nissan Murano, similar to the one pictured left, during the commission of recent offences but prior to October 2024, police believe that Bettschen was using a different, unknown vehicle. Police are concerned there may be additional victims who have not yet come forward, so if you have any information, contact Detective Constable Shannon Carroll of the Special Victims Unit at 519-824-1212, ext. 7357, or email at scarroll [at] guelphpolice.ca.
A 34-year-old Guelph man was charged with attempted murder and aggravated assault after an 80-year-old woman was found unconscious on the sidewalk suffering severe injuries downtown Sunday morning. The victim was transported to hospital with life-threatening injuries. It is believed the two had met previously but were not close acquaintances. The incident remains under investigation, so if you have any information, call Detective Constable Joel Apps at 519-824-1212, ext. 7162, or email mcu [at] guelphpolice.ca.
A 42-year-old Guelph man was charged with assault, being unlawfully in a dwelling and breaching a probation order on Wednesday afternoon after police were called to a north end residence. A woman reported her adult son had attended and been denied entry by his grandfather due to an ongoing dispute. During the altercation the grandfather was pulled out of the house and fell off the porch onto the lawn, but he was not seriously injured.
A 39-year-old Puslinch man was charged with assault police, possessing a controlled substance and public intoxication early last Saturday morning after a police patrol downtown observed an intoxicated man harassing members of the public. While attempting to arrest the man for public intoxication, he pulled his arm free and elbowed one of the officers in the head. He had two small baggies of suspected cocaine on his person.
Break-Ins
Nothing to report.
Drugs
A 39-year-old Guelph woman and a 34-year-old Guelph man are each facing four counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking and possessing stolen property under $5,000 after members of the Break Enter Auto Theft Unit were patrolling on Victoria Road North and observed the pair riding a blue motorcycle on Tuesday evening. The plates on the bike were registered to a black motorcycle, and when they were approached officers located quantities of suspected fentanyl, cocaine, crystal meth and Hydromorphone, as well as a scale and other drug paraphernalia during a search. The man was also charged with driving while prohibited. Both were held for bail hearings Wednesday.
A 40-year-old Guelph man was charged with resisting arrest, possession for the purpose of trafficking and failing to comply with a release order last Friday after a police patrol in the area of Victoria and Brant. Officers saw a man rummaging through the hatchback of a vehicle, and it turned out he was wanted by another police service. After a brief foot chase, the man was arrested and searched, which revealed a quantity of crack cocaine, $1,600 in cash and a contaminated scale.
Fraud
Just after 5 pm on Thursday, a man called police to report that while he was in the parking lot of a Stone Road West business he was approached by a man in an SUV. The man claimed he was heading to the University of Guelph to set up projectors and sound bars, but his employer had provided an extra set of equipment and he wanted to sell it. The complainant said the back of the SUV was filled with boxes of electronics and he ultimately purchased three items for $900 cash. When he got home and researched the items online he discovered they are of low quality and often associated with frauds. Police remind you that it’s probably best you don’t buy electronics out of the back of random cars that stop.
In the past few weeks, two residents have reported selling phones on an online marketplace, only to realize afterwards that the bills they received as payment were fake. One victim lost $700 while the other is out $900. All the bills surrendered to police contained the words “PROP MONEY” within the security strip (above), but otherwise closely resembled legitimate bills. The suspect in one incident is described as white, late 30s, 6 feet with a heavy build, small beard and full sleeve tattoos on both arms and a large tattoo on the right side of his neck. The suspect in the second incident was black with short black hair and believed to be driving a white newer model Toyota RAV4.
Owners of lost pets are urged to be cautious after a two similar reports in the past week of an owner being extorted by someone claiming they had found the pet. Thursday afternoon, a Guelph man who had lost his cat was contacted by someone who claimed they found it and would return it for $300. The victim sent $50, then received an AI-generated photo of the cat and a further demand for payment. The victim called police instead. This was after Sunday when a Brantford woman told police that some contacted here after she lost her dog. In that case the owner sent an e-transfer for $100 before contacting police after the scammer asked for more money. She later found the missing dog. Anyone with information is asked to call Guelph Police at 519-824-1212.
Just after 4 pm on Sunday, the owner of lost dog called police and said she was contacted by someone who claimed he found her dog and would return her for $100. The owner sent an e-transfer for that amount and arrangements were made to meet at a south-end business. When the victim got there she messaged the man, who then demanded a $100 iTunes gift card in exchange for the dog. It is believed the suspect did not have the dog and was simply preying on the victim’s emotional state. If you have any information, call Constable Kevin Ketteringham at 519-824-1212, ext. 7513, or email kketteringham [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 68-year-old Guelph man was charged with impaired driving, refusing to provide a breath sample, failing to stop at a collision and careless driving after a hit and run collision at Speedvale and Metcalfe last Sunday evening.
A 28-year-old Guelph man was arrested for impaired driving after he lost control of his car at 8 am last Saturday and collided with a hydro pole at Silvercreek and Willow.
Theft
At approximately 12:30 pm on Wednesday, a man was in his driveway near Waverley and Dumbarton when two women in a van pulled over to ask for directions to a church. After receiving the directions, the women hugged the man to thank him but after they left he noticed his gold chain valued at $3,000 was missing. The women were described as being in their 40s with Middle Eastern accents. They were driving an older grey Dodge Caravan which was last seen on Dumbarton towards Waverley. If you have any information, call Constable Konrad Babol at 519-824-1212, ext. 7189, email kbabol [at] guelphpolice.ca.
On Tuesday morning officers were called to the business near Silvercreek and Woodlawn where catalytic converters were stolen from five Ford F550 trucks. Security video showed a white car parking near the property at 2:30 am on Sunday. Two males in dark hoodies entered the business compound after cutting a large hole in the fence and removed the exhaust components. If you have any information call Constable Mackenzie Sissing at 519-824-1212, ext. 7553, or email msissing [at] guelphpolice.ca.
At approximately 9:30 pm on Monday, police were dispatched to an address on Willow near Applewood. The victim said he had advertised the ring for sale on his social media and was contacted by someone interested in buying it. Two men arrived, and after the victim handed one man the ring, the other punched him in the face and knocked him down. He was then kicked several times by both men. The men were described as white, 5’8” and in their mid-20s with slight facial hair. One was wearing a red hoodie and baseball cap and the other was wearing jeans, a denim jacket and sunglasses. If you have any information call Constable Justin Garbutt at 519-824-1212, ext. 7596, or email jgarbutt [at] guelphpolice.ca.
Theft (Auto)
At approximately 11:50 pm on Wednesday, officers were patrolling in an apartment building parking lot near Woolwich and Speedvale when they located a yellow Can-Am Spyder. A query of the licence plate revealed the motorcycle had been stolen from Mount Forest. If you have any information, call Constable Brad Townsend at 519-824-1212, ext. 7135, email btownsend [at] guelphpolice.ca.
On Tuesday evening, a resident near Grange and Stevenson reported that he and his wife came home from a brief vacation and found their black 2022 Ford F150 extended cab truck was missing from the driveway. It was stolen sometime since Friday and on the weekend was tracked at an address in Toronto via its GPS system. If you have any information, call Constable Sherry Pettapiece at 519-824-1212, ext. 7479, or email spettapiece [at] guelphpolice.ca.
Traffic
Just before 10 am on Friday, emergency services were called to the Market Fresh plaza where staff reported a vehicle had gone off the road and hit the back of the building before catching on fire. Employees were able to extinguish the flames, but the business was briefly evacuated due to smoke. The driver was removed from the vehicle by Guelph Fire Department and Guelph-Wellington Paramedic Service personnel and transported to hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries. The collision remains under investigation.
The Guelph Police Service hosted a commercial motor vehicle safety blitz in Guelph last Friday, which also featured commercial vehicle safety officers from Waterloo Regional Police, Halton Regional Police, London Police Service and the OPP as well as representatives of the Ministry of Finance and the Canadian Border Services Agency. Officers inspected 34 trucks and took 14 – a surprising 41 per cent – out of service for various violations. Nearly four dozen charges were laid.
Other Notes
At approximately 2:25 am on Thursday, police received a call from a Guelph Transit employee reporting he had extinguished a garbage can fire across from the transit hub, but a second garbage fire down the street had spread to a building. Officers arrived and found flames had spread to the corner of the Royal Inn and smoke was entering the building. The hotel was briefly evacuated while firefighters extinguished the flames. Security video showed two males dressed all in black separately approach the garbage cans shortly before flames are seen. If you have any information, call Constable Brett Woodburn at 519-824-1212, ext. 7585, or email bwoodburn [at] guelphpolice.ca.
Total calls for service last week: 1,748
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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