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 4:50 am on Friday emergency services were called to a business on Macdonell Street for reports of a man with a laceration to his chest. The man told officers he had been injured during an altercation with an unknown man outside a business near Wyndham and Cork. The victim was transported to a Hamilton trauma centre for treatment of non-life threatening injuries and the investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Sergeant Brandon MacKenzie at 519-824-1212, ext. 7202, or email bmackenzie [at] guelphpolice.ca.
A 58-year-old Guelph man was arrested and charged with two counts of assault with a weapon, possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose and forcible confinement on Thursday morning. Police were called to an address near Gordon and Forbes where there had been an altercation where one person brandished a knife and chased the other. The victim was not physically injured, and the parties are known to each other.
Break-Ins
A 25-year-old Guelph man was arrested for a number of charges including two counts of break and enter, two counts of trespass by night, attempt break and enter, possessing stolen property, possessing weapons for a dangerous purpose and several breaches of court orders on Thursday. The man was a suspect in a garage break-in two nights before in the area of Paisley and Edinburgh, and he was in possession of suspected stolen property when he was arrested.
Last Friday two Guelph men – aged 42 and 36 – were arrested for break and enter for a break-in last week at a business on York Road. Various tools and car parts were stolen. The older man is also charged with possessing break-in instruments after bolt cutters and a crow bar were found during the arrest.
Drugs
A 38-year-old Guelph man was charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking and possessing a controlled substance on Tuesday morning after police were called to check on two people passed out in a vehicle in a commercial parking lot on Stone Road West. A man was observed in the passenger seat with a glass pipe and lighter in his lap, and officers found approximately 30 empty baggies as well as a case containing suspected cocaine, a vial of suspected fentanyl and two contaminated digital scales in the vehicle.
Fraud
On Monday, a Guelph man reported that he opened a number of investment accounts with companies he found through Facebook advertisements, including one supposedly featuring Prime Minister Mark Carney. He deposited money into the accounts and was told his investment was climbing dramatically, but later experienced trouble when he tried to withdraw funds and was told additional fees would need to be paid. The victim later lost another $3,000 after he was contacted by a company which claimed it could help him recoup his earlier losses, which add up to $165,000 in losses via cryptocurrency.
Last Friday, a woman contacted police saying that on Wednesday morning she received a call from someone she believed was her grandson claiming he had been arrested following a collision and needed $4,000 for bail money. Arrangements were eventually made for someone to attend the victim’s home where the cash was handed over. The victim later contacted her grandson directly and realized she had been scammed. The investigation is ongoing.
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 60-year-old Grand Valley man was arrested again Wednesday for another count of luring, possessing and distributing child sexual abuse and exploitation material and making sexually explicit material available to a child under 16. He was previous arrested in May after several online conversations with the officer, who was posing as a 13-year-old girl. During the conversations the man requested nude photos and suggested meeting at a hotel. Several devices were seized for further investigation during the initial arrest.
Impaired Driving
A 27-year-old Guelph man was charged with impaired driving Thursday before noon after a grey SUV was seen swerving into oncoming lanes and almost striking the curb a number of times near Stone and Edinburgh. He had more than three times the legal limit of alcohol in his system.
A 43-year-old Guelph man was charged with impaired driving Thursday night after officers in the area of Paisley and Imperial observed a vehicle twice crossing into oncoming lanes and pulled it over.
A 32-year-old Guelph man was charged with impaired driving, dangerous driving and mischief under $5,000 after two road rage incidents Monday night. One woman reported another motorist had cut her off and then approached the complainant’s vehicle while swearing before breaking the side mirror. She then followed him into a plaza on Kortright Road West where he reversed into the complainant’s car at a high rate of speed.
A 23-year-old Schomberg man was charged with impaired driving, refusing to provide a breath sample, two counts failing to comply with a release order and failing to comply with an undertaking last Saturday evening police received reports of a Chevrolet pickup being driven erratically throughout the city. After finding the truck in a parking lot on Speedvale Avenue East, and watching a man walking unsteadily before getting into the driver’s seat, police discovered that he had been previously arrested for impaired driving on June 15 and July 2 and had his driver’s licence suspended both times. Officers seized his vehicle indefinitely to prevent further offences.
Theft
On Tuesday morning, a resident near Victoria and Woodlawn reported that his bass boat and trailer had been stolen from his driveway overnight, and then someone in the same neighborhood reported his Sea-Doo and trailer had been stolen from their driveway overnight. Both watercraft were later recovered from a carpool parking lot near Guelph Line and Highway 401, but the thefts remain under investigation. If you have any information, call Detective Constable Ryan Horvat at 519-824-1212, ext. 7485, or email rhorvat [at] guelphpolice.ca.
On Monday, police were called to a home near Nottingham and Dublin where a resident said they were away for the weekend and came home to find the house ransacked, with many items moved. The victim found a used needle in their bedroom and urine on the floor. A projector was reported stolen. If you have any information call Constable Emily Dietrich at 519-824-1212, ext. 7265 or email edietrich [at] guelphpolice.ca.
Theft (Auto)
At approximately 6 pm on Wednesday, a Guelph man reported he had parked his grey 2015 Mazda 3 near the Cenotaph downtown while he was at work. After work, he realized his keys were missing, and he was able to track them through an air tag to the area of Woolwich and Eramosa. The complainant spoke to man seated on a bench, who claimed he had found the keys on the ground and gave them back. He denied knowledge of the stolen vehicle. If you have any information call Constable Emily Dietrich at 519-824-1212, ext. 7265, or email edietrich [at] guelphpolice.ca.
Jeep Wranglers were popular with thieves in Guelph last weekend, with three being taken from the south end. It is not known if the thefts are related. On Saturday morning, a resident of Kortright East reported his white 2024 Rubicon had been stolen from the driveway overnight. Two people were captured on security cameras opening the vehicle’s hood and then driving it away. A short time later, a resident in the area of Harts and Bathgate also reported her white 2024 Rubicon had been stolen overnight. Then, a resident near MacAlister and Ambrous reported her pink 2024 Wrangler had been stolen from the driveway overnight. It was later recovered undamaged in Mississauga. A black 2024 Honda Civic was also stolen from the area of Clair and Dallan.
A 29-year-old Guelph man was charged with motor vehicle theft, theft under $5,000 and committing an indecent act on Monday afternoon after a suspect left a business at Willow and Westwood without paying for merchandise. When an employee tried to stop him, the man exposed himself before stealing an SUV and driving away, and, for an added complication, there was a four-year-old child sleeping in the backseat. After a police response, the SUV was located parked on a nearby street approximately 16 minutes after it was reported stolen. The child was still asleep inside and was not physically injured, and the suspect was located nearby and arrested.
Traffic
A 17-year-old Guelph man and 20-year-old Kitchener man were both charged with speeding and stunt driving Tuesday evening. One was arrested after being clocked travelling 116 kilometres per hour in the posted 50 zone on Kortright Road West, and the other was arrested five hours later after he was caught travelling 109 kilometres per hour in the posted 60 zone on Woodlawn Road West.
A 61-year-old Guelph woman was charged with two counts of dangerous driving after police were called to York and Cityview where witnesses reported a resident had reversed her SUV quickly in the parking lot, almost striking a visitor’s vehicle while yelling at her. She then drove the vehicle aggressively toward the other vehicle while still yelling.
Other Notes
At approximately 6:15 pm last Friday, a woman called police after she had been walking in the area of Grange and Metcalfe and noticed a young man waking closely behind her. She made a number of turns and the man remained behind her. When she looked back at him he pulled down his shorts and exposed himself. He was described as white, mid-20s, 6’ with a slim build and blond hair. He was wearing grey shorts, a grey t-shirt, red baseball cap, dark-coloured backpack and possibly carrying an orange vape pen. Anyone with information is asked to call Constable Frazer McCrindle at 519-824-1212, ext. 7327, or email fmccrindle [at] guelphpolice.ca.
Total calls for service last week: 1,619
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.
Guelph Politico 