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 Tuesday a 16-year-old Guelph boy was arrested for assault causing bodily harm, robbery and mischief under $5,000 for an October 9 incidents were a teen was struck in the back of the head and knocked to the ground and then kicked repeatedly in the head and torso. Two 15-year-olds had previously been arrested on the assault and mischief charges.
A 28-year-old Guelph man was charged with assault with a weapon, assault, possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose and mischief under $5,000 on Tuesday after police responded to a family dispute during which a knife was briefly brandished. The suspect fled before police arrived but was located nearby and arrested. A couple in their 50s and a woman in her 20s sustained minor injuries.
A 16-year-old Guelph boy is charged with five counts of assault police and one count of assault for an October 26 incident where police responded to a disturbance at an address on Waterloo Avenue. When the teen taken to the hospital for treatment he spit in the face of three officers, spit on two others, and then spat in the face of a security guard.
Last Friday afternoon, a 52-year-old Guelph man was located downtown and arrested for assault and breaching a probation order for an incident two days prior when a client of a downtown social service agency. The client became agitated and began yelling and swearing at the worker before slamming his hands on a table and then pushing it hard enough that the worker was pinned.
Break-Ins
On Monday, a resident near Eastview and Auden reported damage to her front door, including pry marks and a cracked door frame as well as evidence the door was kicked. She reported similar incident approximately three weeks ago. Both incidents remain under investigation, and if you have any information call Constable Jonathan Schleen at 519-824-1212, ext. 7570, or email jschleen guelphpolice.ca.
At approximately 7:30 am last Saturday, a resident near Woolwich and Clarke went out to his garage and noticed a strange smell. He opened his car door and noted ash on the console and a lighter on the seat, plus there were several burn marks observed on the console and armrest and a small amount of cash was missing. If you have any information, call Constable Nick Dowe at 519-824-1212, ext. 7608, or email ndowe [at] guelphpolice.ca.
Drugs
Nothing to report.
Fraud
On Thursday, a local resident told police that they were defrauded $5,000 from an individual posing as comedian Matt Rife. They got a message where “Rife” claimed they were having issues with their banking, and asked the victim if they could pay off their credit card after depositing a cheque on their behalf. When the cheque was deposited, the fake “Rife” asked the victim to deposit it into Bitcoin, which they did, and then the victim’s bank informed him that the cheque was fake. The fake Matt Rife continued to contact the victim, who didn’t respond to continued requests.
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.
Human Trafficking/IPV
A 30-year-old and a 27-year-old man from Montreal were arrested at a Guelph hotel last weekend and charged with receiving a material benefit from sexual services and obtaining sexual services for consideration. Earlier this month, Ontario Provincial Police received a report that a woman from Eastern Ontario was missing and their anti-Human Trafficking Unit found that she was being advertised online for sexual services. She was tracked to Guelph, and officers witnessed the men enter the hotel with the missing girl. The 30-year-old was also charged with obstructing police.
Impaired Driving
Nothing to report.
Theft
On Wednesday November 19 at approximately 6:19 p.m., two individuals entered a business on Stone Road and proceeded to the desktop area of the store. They grabbed two display model gaming desktop PCs, promptly exiting the business to an awaiting vehicle with a third person driving in a nearby parking lot. If you have any information, call Constable Jonathan Schleen at 519-824-1212, ext. 7570, email her at jschleen [at] guelphpolice.ca.
At approximately 2:15 am on Tuesday, police were called to a business on Woodlawn Road East where a large hole had been cut at the rear of the business allowing entry. Power tools, vacuum cleaners and three air rifles were reported missing. Some tools and one of the rifles was later recovered. As well a large quantity of merchandise was located in plastic bins and bags near the back of the store. The first suspect was described as a white male wearing a dark Ecko sweater, khaki pants and white shoes. The second was a white male wearing a navy blue sweater with a yellow crest, light grey sweatpants, black shoes and a white face covering. if you have any information, call Constable Jovan Dhanju at 519-824-1212, ext. 7805, or email jdhanju [at] guelphpolice.ca.
Just after midnight on Monday, police received multiple alarm calls from a jewelry store near Edinburgh and Kortright. Officers arrived to find the rear door had been pried open, and a number of glass cabinets and display cases were smashed and a quantity of jewelry stolen. Three male suspects were caught on video. The first was wearing a black Reebok hoodie, black toque, gloves and a headlamp with a black band. The second was wearing a black Nike Soccer hoodie with the hood up, black baseball cap, black pants and gloves and the third was wearing a green sweater with black squares on the shoulders, black pants, a black balaclava and gloves. A witness saw a beige or silver sedan leaving the area around the same time, but it is not known if it was involved. If you have any information, call Constable Justin Garbutt at 519-824-1212, ext. 7596, or email jgarbutt [at] guelphpolice.ca.
A 26-year-old Guelph man was charged with theft under $5,000 Sunday morning after two packages were stolen from the front porch of a residence on Nottingham Street. He was released with a future court date but on Sunday evening was arrested again after entering a downtown apartment building and stealing items.
Theft (Auto)
Last Friday morning, a resident of Waterloo Avenue reported his grey four-door 2025 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon had been stolen overnight from the parking lot of his apartment building. The Jeep has a matching grey roof but no other distinguishing features. If you have any information call Constable Todd Van Iersel at 519-824-1212, ext. 7557, or email tvaniersel [at] guelphpolice.ca.
Traffic
A 62-year-old Milton woman was charged with driving while suspended after a traffic stop on Woodlawn Road East Wednesday morning after the cruiser’s automated licence plate reader detected a vehicle registered to a suspended driver.
Other Notes
At approximately 1:35 pm on Wednesday, a Puslinch man called police to report he was aggressively approached by two men who claimed to be selling televisions in the area of Stone and Edinburgh. The two used their vehicle to block in the complainant’s vehicle while they tried to convince him to purchase a TV. One male was described as white and the other possibly southeast Asian. They were driving a gold Toyota Sienna van. If you have any information, call Constable Andrew Kamenz at 519-824-1212, ext. 7566, or email akamenz [at] guelphpolice.ca
Police have received several reports in recent months of residents being approached in parking lots and other public places and offered electronic equipment at large discounts. The sellers often claim to be representing a large company and trying to clear out overstock items. In some cases residents who have purchased the items have discovered afterwards they were misrepresented and are of poor quality. Police urge members of the public to remain vigilant and avoid purchasing items from unknown vendors operating outside of legitimate retail locations.
Total calls for service last week: 1,489
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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