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 3:30 pm on Wednesday, a man was crossing Victoria and York when he was approached by the driver of a vehicle making a right turn. The driver stopped his vehicle in traffic, exited the car and a physical altercation occurred resulting in injuries to the pedestrian. Police are looking for any witnesses that may have seen the incident or who may have dash cam video so if you have any information email Constable Mike Powell at mpowell [at] guelphpolice.ca/
A 39-year-old Guelph was placed under arrest for assault and obtain transportation by fraud after a taxi driver was hit several times and had his hoodie pulled while the taxi was in transit.
A 29-year-old Guelph man was charged with two counts of assault with a weapon on Thursday evening after a security guard asked a man to leave the vestibule of a business near St. George’s Square. The man threw his backpack at the security guard then pulled out a wooden stick and struck the guard twice. The guard was not injured.
A 56-year-old Guelph man was charged with assault causing bodily harm, assault police and uttering a death threat last Saturday morning. A man in his 60s was sitting in the lobby handing out Easter candy when he was confronted by a neighbour, who grabbed him by the throat while uttering a death threat. The suspect was transported to hospital for medical treatment, but became combative and kicked the officer in the head. She was not seriously injured.
Break-Ins
The owner of a downtown apartment building reported two men gained access just after 7:30 am Sunday morning by pulling on the front door until it bent slightly. Once inside they went to several storage and supply rooms and stole property including tools and keys. The first suspect was described as a white man with dark hair and wearing a black jacket, black pants, a white and blue football jersey under a coat and a red Chicago Bulls hat. The second man was also white with red or dirty blond hair, baggy light-wash jeans, a white t-shirt, black bomber jacket with a white logo and a baseball cap with white brim. If you have any information, call Constable Mackenzie Sissing at 519-824-1212, ext. 7553, or email msissing [at] guelphpolice.ca.
A 46-year-old Guelph man was charged with break and enter, careless storage of ammunition, breach of probation and failing to attend court after $7,000 worth of copper wire was stolen from a business on Speedvale Avenue West Thursday morning. When officers caught up with the suspect later that afternoon, 30 .22-calibre rounds of ammunition were found during a search.
Drugs
A 19-year-old Guelph man was charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking after a Break Enter Auto Theft Unit investigation. Police located his vehicle near Eastview and Auden and they recovered cocaine with a street value of approximately $600 and more than $750 in cash.
Fraud
Officers were called to a business downtown where the victim told them that they were contacted by someone claiming to represent the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre. The caller said the victim’s identity had been compromised and provided instructions to deposit $9,100 into a Bitcoin ATM. The victim withdrew the funds from their line of credit and sent it as instructed, but when they tried to confirm the money had been received they were told it was a scam.
A Guelph resident reported that he was selling an iPhone 16 online and was contacted by a prospective buyer. The pair met last Thursday afternoon and the buyer handed over nine $100 bills, which he later discovered was prop money after he deposited them. The suspect was described as a black man driving a four-door sedan. This is at least the fourth such fraud reported to Guelph Police since early December. It is not known if any of the incidents are related, but if you have any information, call Constable Ashley McArthur at 519-824-1212, ext. 7105, or email amcarthur [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 21-year-old Guelph man was charged with dangerous driving, flight from police, refusing to provide a breath sample, failing to stop at an accident and several Highway Traffic Act offences early last Saturday after police were alerted about a possible suspended driver. The driver fled when the officer activated his emergency lights, driving through a red light into the construction site on Speedvale Avenue East where he collided with construction materials.
A 31-year-old Guelph man was arrested for impaired driving and failing to stop after a two-vehicle collision Friday morning near Gordon and Cork.
A 52-year-old Guelph man was charged with impaired driving after he was caught drinking a beer in a vehicle in a north-end parking lot Friday afternoon.
A 67-year-old Guelph man was arrested for impaired driving and dangerous driving following a two-vehicle collision Friday evening at Paisley and Silvercreek.
A 25-year-old Stratford woman was arrested for impaired driving and refusing to comply with a demand after officers noted an odour of burned marijuana during a traffic stop on Woolwich Street last Saturday evening.
Theft
Wednesday afternoon, a Guelph man in his 70s reported that at 2:25 pm he was walking through the parking lot at Willow West Mall when he was approached by a man driving an older grey SUV. The driver began speaking to the man and opened his hand to reveal a gold chain with a pendant. The one man declined and the other drove away. He was described as being in his late 40s or 50s with light brown or tanned skin. If you have any information, call Detective Constable Cecilia Hudecki at 519-824-1212, ext. 7215, or email chudecki [at] guelphpolice.ca.
Just after 1 pm on Monday a Guelph woman in her 50s reported her necklace was stolen near the intersection of Ironwood and Scottsdale when she was approached by people in a black SUV. A female passenger attempted to give the victim gifts and hugged her, during which the victim’s necklace was stolen. The victim realized what was happening and tried to stop it, but was shoved and the vehicle fled. The suspect was described as a white woman in her late 20s with a slim build and wearing a white or pink headscarf. The driver was described as a male in his 40s with brown skin and a medium build. There were also two young children in the vehicle, which was a black SUV.
Minutes later, a woman reported that her mother, who is in her 80s, had been walking on Pine Ridge Drive when she was approached by a black vehicle and a female passenger engaged her in conversation. During the interaction the victim’s necklace was stolen. The description of the suspects was very similar, except the second victim believed the woman had light brown skin. The incidents are under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Constable Cecilia Hudecki at 519-824-1212, ext. 7215, or email chudecki [at] guelphpolice.ca.
On Monday staff from a business near Woodlawn and Michener reported that two of the catalytic converters had been cut off one of the trucks in their lot. The theft happened at 11:40 pm last Saturday when two men entered the business from the site next door; one kept watch while the other cut the converters off the truck. Both suspects were wearing all black clothing with their faces covered and driving a red Hyundai Tucson. If you have any information, call Constable Brent Estabrooks at 519-824-1212, ext. 7259, or email bestabrooks [at] guelphpolice.ca. The two catalytic converters are valued at more than $15,000.
Theft (Auto)
A Guelph man reported he went shopping at a business near Paisley and Elmira and when he came back out less than an hour later his black 2018 Camaro was missing from the parking lot. The vehicle has a patch of paint missing near the front passenger-side wheel. If you have any information, call Constable Amanda Anderson at 519-824-1212, ext. 7282, email aanderson [at] guelphpolice.ca.
Traffic
A parked vehicle was struck shortly after 4 am on Saturday in the area of Victoria and Woodlawn. Police are looking for the culprit who was driving a black SUV with damage to the front passenger side corner. If anyone has any information, please contact Constable Tim Paneghel at 519-824-1212 ext. 7529 or tpaneghel [at] guelphpolice.ca.
A 41-year-old Guelph man faces 18 counts of driving while prohibited after the Break Enter Auto Theft unit spotted a man driving on York Road. He was followed to a business just outside the city and arrested as he exited the vehicle. Investigation revealed that he is subject to 18 indefinite prohibitions dating back to 2003 for various offences.
Total calls for service last week: 1,840
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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