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
At approximately 12:15 pm on December 12, police were called for a disturbance in the area of College and Vanier where a male youth arrived wearing a ski mask and brandishing a knife. He tossed the knife and then got into a fight with another youth. As a result of the altercation two boys, aged 16 and 17, sought medical attention for minor injuries. The incident remains under investigation so if you have any information call Detective Constable Mary Ellen McEwen at 519-824-1212, ext. 7174, or email mmcewen [at] guelphpolice.ca.
An 18-year-old Guelph man was charged this week with sexual assault, sexual interference and possessing child sexual abuse and exploitation material (formerly known as child pornography) in the case of a 12-year-old girl who was lured by a man on social media back in the summer. He was previously charged with luring a person under 16, exposure to a person under 16 and distributing intimate images to a person under 16.
A 56-year-old Guelph man was arrested for assault, assault with a weapon, assault causing bodily harm – strangulation, and theft under $5,000 on Monday afternoon. A woman was pushed to the ground and had a hot coffee thrown on her by a man she knew from her building and has had past disputes with. As she tried to stand up the man grabbed her from behind in a chokehold, holding her on the ground until the victim stated she couldn’t breathe. The victim was assessed on scene by paramedics and said she would seek further medical treatment.
A 41-year-old Guelph man and 24-year-old Guelph woman were each charged with assault with a weapon and possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose last Friday after police were dispatched to an address near Willow and Flaherty. Two roommates were arguing about rent money when one brandished a pair of scissors and uttered a threat. The second roommate pulled out a knife and began motioning in an aggressive manner. The man is also charged with uttering threats.
Break-Ins
On Monday morning, the manager of a business near Silvercreek and Campbell arrived to find a hole had been cut in the wall to access the business. Once inside, suspects cut through the drywall to access the complainant’s business. A quantity of wire valued at more than $30,000 was reported missing. If you have any information, call Constable Jillian Crawford-Bourke at 519-824-1212, ext. 7583, or email jcrawford-bourke [at] guelphpolice.ca.
Just before 6:30 am on Wednesday, police were called to a business near York and Watson Road after an employee arrived and found a rear door had been removed from its hinges and an office door was ajar. A laptop was missing. If you have any information, call Constable Frazer McCrindle at 519-824-1212, ext. 7327, or email fmccrindle [at] guelphpolice.ca.
Approximately 8:25 pm on Sunday, the manager of a business inside Old Quebec Street Shoppes called police because an alarm went off and his security cameras showed a number of youths on scene. Investigation revealed three males attended the business and pried open the door. Two entered the business while the third fled on foot. It is not known if anything was stolen. If you have any information, call Constable Karson Massey at 519-824-1212, ext. 7594, or email kmassey [at] guelphpolice.ca.
Drugs
Noting to report.
Fraud
Early Thursday, a man in his 20s contacted police to report that he had been the target of a ‘sextortion’ attempt. He had met a woman on a dating app and she asked to switch to a chatting app. They had an intimate video chat, but the woman ended the call and then contacted the complainant to say she had recorded the video. She sent the man screenshots of his social media followers and threatened to send them the video unless he paid $7,000. The man instead contacted police. It is believed the suspect is located in Asia.
A Guelph man in his 20s lost more than $95,000 through an investment scam over the last few months. In September he responded to a social media ad and was redirected to a group on a popular chatting app which he believed was connected to a legitimate investment brokerage. Throughout October he made a series of e-transfers, and then began “borrowing” funds from the company to fund his investments and immediately repaying those supposed loans from his and his wife’s bank accounts. When we tried to withdraw funds from the investments and was told he must pay a 20 per cent commission on any profits. He tried to have an in-person meeting with company but was given a fake address. The matter remains under investigation.
At approximately 10:45 pm on Sunday a resident near Victoria and Woodlawn reported that he was selling an iPhone 16 Pro through Facebook Marketplace and arranged for the buyer to attend his residence, where he handed over ten $100 bills. When the seller questioned the authenticity of the bills, the suspect fled. He’s described as a brown male, approximately 18 and wearing a black puffy coat. His Facebook profile was deleted after the incident. If you have any information, call Constable Karson Massey at 519-824-1212, ext. 7594, or email kmassey [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.
Human Trafficking/IPV
Nothing to report.
Impaired Driving
Two Guelph men, aged 32 and 30, were charged with impaired driving on Thursday evening in a parking lot on Clair Road. The older man was also charged with possessing a controlled substance after officers found a small amount of cocaine. Tests revealed that they each had more than twice the legal limit of alcohol in their system.
A 27-year-old Guelph man was charged with impaired driving and driving without insurance early last Saturday morning after being observed driving erratically downtown. Officers checked the licence plate and learned the vehicle has not been registered since 2020 and the owner has been unlicensed since 2021.
A 28-year-old Guelph man was charged with impaired driving and dangerous driving last Saturday night after observed a vehicle being driven at a very high speed near Paisley and Elmira. The vehicle was stopped after officers observed the driver to briefly lose control while making a hard left turn onto Chillico Drive.
Theft
At approximately 10:45 am on Sunday, a man entered a business on Woodlawn Road West walked around the store for the next 20 minutes, and placed several Milwaukee power tools in his cart before leaving through a rear fire exit and triggering an alarm. The man was observed placing the tools in the trunk of a white Volkswagen Jetta. He got into the passenger seat and the car drove off. The suspect was described as possibly South Asian, 30-35 years old with a medium build and wearing a brown sweater, jeans, a blue baseball cap and black shoes. If you have any information call Constable Todd Van Iersel at 519-824-1212, ext. 7557, or email tvaniersel [at] guelphpolice.ca.
On December 10 just before 6 pm, a man and woman entered a business near Gordon and Clair. They went to the beauty and skincare aisle and quickly began placing items into the woman’s coat before walking out of the store where nearly 300 items were stolen. The suspects were described as:
1. Female, approximately 20, 5’5”, tanned skin, thin build, black hair, wearing a green jacket, grey shirt and black pants
2. Male, similar age, 5’7”, tanned skin, thin build, black curly hair, glasses, wearing a black jacket over tan hoodie, black pants and black shoes.
If you have any information, call Constable Jonathan Schleen at 519-824-1212, ext. 7570, or email jschleen [at] guelphpolice.ca.
At approximately 4:25 pm on December 1, five men entered the LCBO on Clair Road East. Three picked up cases of vodka off a cart while another filled a bag with loose bottles and the fifth waited at the front door to open the entry gate and allow them to flee. The men arrived and left in a white Toyota Tundra pickup with a black box and tailgate and licence plate starting with AA. If you have any information, call Constable Jessica Belcastro at 519-824-1212, ext. 7287, or email jbelcastro [at] guelphpolice.ca.
A woman in her 70s reported last Thursday that she was leaving a business near Victoria and York when she was approached by three people in a white SUV. A woman exited the SUV and approached the victim, asking if she could pray with her and attempting to place a necklace and rings on her, which the victim declined. The woman got back into the SUV and left the area. The victim then realized her gold necklace and heart-shaped pendant were missing. If you have any information, call Constable Nick Dowe at 519-824-1212, ext. 7602, or email ndowe [at] guelphpolice.ca.
Theft (Auto)
A 26-year-old Cambridge man and 20-year-old Cambridge woman face several charges, including theft of a motor vehicle and possessing stolen property over $5,000 on Wednesday following an investigation into the theft of a car used to deliver pizzas last week. The man is also charged with 10 counts of driving while prohibited.
A 29-year-old Kitchener man was charged with two counts of possessing stolen property over $5,000, possessing stolen property under $5,000, theft of a motor vehicle and breaching a probation order on Friday morning after a Mercedes stolen from Kitchener was tracked the east end of Guelph. A 57-year-old Kitchener woman was also charged with possessing stolen property over $5,000 and possessing counterfeit currency when police spotted her leaving the stolen car’s passenger seat.
Traffic
Nothing to report.
Other Notes
Nothing else to report.
Total calls for service last week: 1,504
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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