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 35-year-old Guelph woman was charged with assault with a weapon, being unlawfully in a dwelling and breaching a probation order on Sunday morning after emergency services were called to a home near Paisley and Norfolk. A man said a neighbour with whom he’s had an ongoing dispute came to his apartment and forced her way inside before striking him several times with a large wrench. He was able to disarm her and remove her from the premises.
A 40-year-old Guelph man was charged with breaching a bail order, breaching a probation order, possessing a restricted weapon, possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose, possessing a controlled substance, possessing stolen property and possessing break-in tools early Saturday. Police were called to an address on Surrey Street regarding a man who was on a bail order with a condition to stay away from the address. He was placed under arrest and a search revealed a spring-assisted knife, small amount of suspected meth, various tools and documents in other people’s names.
A 50-year-old Guelph man is charged with theft under $5,000, two counts of assaulting police to resist arrest and three counts of breaching a probation order last Saturday morning. Police were dispatched to a business on Woodlawn Road West after a man walked out with more than $100 in clothing and other items. Officers learned the suspect had boarded a city bus and pulled it over nearby. The man was told he was under arrest but began physically struggling with officers, grabbing onto them and attempting to kick them. He was eventually handcuffed and removed from the bus.
Break-Ins
A 48-year-old Guelph man was charged with break and enter, possessing stolen property, possessing break-in tools and unauthorized possession of a credit card after a teacher at an east end school discovered the man hiding inside a closet while children were still present for an after-school program. It is believed he was waiting for the school to close to commit theft, and when police arrest him he was found to have several credit cards in different names, several sets of car keys, three watches and a number of tools.
A 24-year-old Guelph man was charged with three counts of break and enter, two counts of attempted break and enter, possessing break-in tools and breaching a bail order for several break-and-enters in homes in the Exhibition Park area on Tuesday. Investigation revealed he had been granted bail earlier this month for similar charges and is bound by a 9 pm curfew.
Drugs
A 36-year-old Guelph man was charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking and two counts of driving while suspended on Thursday after police spotted a pick-up that matched the description of one involved in a minor hit and run near Victoria and York. A search of the truck revealed a large baggie of suspected meth as well as a scale and cash. The seized drugs are valued at approximately $1,200.
A 42-year-old Guelph man was charged with three counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking, obstructing police and possessing proceeds of crime early on Saturday after police stopped a taxi because the passenger was not using a seatbelt. Officers spoke to the passenger, who provided two variations of his name and date of birth, probably because the man was breaching a conditional sentence of house arrest. A search revealed quantities of cocaine, Hydromorphone and Dilaudid, as well as more than $6,000 in cash.
Fraud
On Wednesday, a man in his 60s attended the police station to report the loss. In September he clicked on a Facebook ad promoting a supposed cryptocurrency investment opportunity, eventually creating an online account and transferring funds from his bank account. He was informed his funds had been transferred to another account and had grown to nearly $120,000 USD, but when the man tried to withdraw the funds he was told he needed to pay $9,000 in fees. He instead called the police. Guelph Police are reminding residents to be very cautious when dealing with individuals online.
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 39-year-old Hamilton man was charged with impaired driving, stunt driving, speeding, driving with alcohol available and breaching a probation order a patrol near Wellington and Edinburgh clocked a vehicle doing 106 kilometres per hour in a posted 60 zone. A partially-filled bottle of vodka was observed on the passenger seat.
A 57-year-old Temagami man was charged with impaired driving after a Woodlawn Road West expressed concern about a man leaving their establishment. The vehicle was located and pulled over. Officers detected a strong odour of alcohol on the driver’s breath, and as he stepped from the vehicle he was unsteady on his feet and leaned on the vehicle to hold himself up.
A 37-year-old Rockwood man is charged with impaired operation, using unauthorized plates, failing to surrender a licence and driving a vehicle without insurance after a traffic stop last Saturday afternoon. The Traffic Unit caught up to a blue Subaru after the cruiser’s automated licence plate reader alerted to plates which were not registered to a vehicle. Tests confirmed that the driver had more than the legal amount of alcohol in his system.
Theft
Guelph Police have released a picture of two women who took advantage of a vulnerable man in the afternoon of October 27 in a plaza at Edinburgh and Stone. The two used the man to buy more than $200 in clothing at Walmart, had him withdraw $1,000 from an ATM, and bought groceries and gift cards worth more than $500 at another nearby store. The suspects were described as being approximately 30 with tanned skin and medium builds. One had red hair in a bun and a long black puffy coat while the other had dark hair in a bun and was wearing a pink and black jacket. Anyone with information or who recognizes the women in the attached photo is asked to call Constable Matt Simpson at 519-824-1212, ext. 7318, or email msimpson [at] guelphpolice.ca.
On Monday morning, police were called to a business near York and Victoria after the owner arrived and discovered an overhead door had been pried open sometime over the weekend. A microwave and tools with a total value of approximately $6,000 were reported stolen. If you have any information, call Constable Emma Turney at 519-824-1212, ext. 7438, or email eturney [at] guelphpolice.ca.
On Thursday at around 3 pm nearly $2,800 in baby formula was stolen from a business near Gordon and Harvard reported the theft which occurred a day earlier. They were seen leaving the area westbound on Harvard Road in an older black Dodge Caravan. They were described as:
- Brown skin, 35-40 years, 5’9” to 5’11”, slim build, light beard, black and grey hair, brown winter jacket, grey t-shirt, black jeans, black shoes
- Brown skin, 30-40 years, 5’9” to 5’11”, average build, light beard, black hair, black winter jacket, grey hoodie, grey track pants, black shoes
- Brown skin, 18-27 years, 5’7” to 5’9”, slim build, black hair, black winter jacket, black t-shirt, light grey and black track pants, white shoes
- Brown skin, 30-40 years, 5’11” to 6’, heavy build, black beard, black hair, black hoodie with yellow on sleeves, black track pants, black shoes, baseball cap.
If you have any information, call Constable Todd Van Iersel at 519-824-1212, ext. 7557, or email tvaniersel [at] guelphpolice.ca.
Theft (Auto)
A 41-year-old Guelph man was charged with possessing stolen property over $5,000 and unauthorized possession of a weapon on Thursday for the theft of a 2022 Nissan Altima stolen from a driveway near Scottsdale and Cole last month. The car was recovered four days later. The suspect was arrested with a spring-loaded knife was found in his pocket.
Traffic
A 41-year-old Kitchener man was charged with speeding and stunt driving on Wednesday morning after police spotted a Toyota Corolla travelling at 109 kilometres per hour in a posted 60 zone at Woodlawn and Michener.
Other Notes
A 44-year-old Calgary man was arrested Wednesday and faces several charges, including making and distributing child sexual abuse and exploitation material (formerly known as child pornography) and luring a child under 16. Why is Guelph Police reporting on Calgary business? In September, a Guelph Police officer posing as a 13-year-old girl began an online chat with an adult male, during which the male sent photos of himself and spoke of wanting to meet an underage girl for sex.
Following up on reports of a man who approached children at the West End Community Centre in early October, the Special Victims Unit took over the investigations and have spoken to all involved parties. In both cases reasonable explanations were offered for the reported conduct and officers do not believe there was any criminal intent in either incident.
Total calls for service last week: 1,476
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.tip
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