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 6:20 pm on November 3 police were called to the Dollarama on Woodlawn Road West after a customer and a manager were sprayed directly in the face after trying to stop a shoplifter. Several other customers reported feeling the effects of indirect exposure to pepper spray. The suspect was described as a white male with tanned skin and wearing a brown hoodie, blue jeans, baseball cap and a blue medical mask. He was also carrying a dark-coloured duffel bag. If you have any information, call Constable Emma Turney at 519-824-1212, ext. 7438, or email eturney [at] guelphpolice.ca.
A 26-year-old York Region man and two Hamilton men, aged 19 and 20, were each charged with two counts of assault cause bodily harm and mischief under $5,000 for an assault in a Stone Road plaza on the night of the big unsanctioned Homecoming party. Emergency services responded to the commercial plaza for reports of a physical altercation at the business. They found two people had been injured and a window at the business had been smashed when one of the victims fell against it.
A 71-year-old Guelph man was charged with carrying a concealed weapon, possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose and uttering threats on Wednesday night after police were called about a man in the area of Waterloo and St. Arnaud who made some “concerning comments”. Officers located the man walking in the area and detained him, and a search revealed a large knife in the back of his pants.
A 50-year-old Guelph man was charged with two counts of assaulting police, two counts of uttering threats and mischief under $5,000 on Monday after pulling over a suspect involved with a disturbance. The man became belligerent, punching one officer repeatedly in the arm and kicking a second one in the leg. Neither officer required medical treatment.
A 51-year-old Guelph woman was charged with causing a disturbance, indecent act, assault police and uttering threats last Saturday. Police were called to a social service agency on Gordon Street to remove a woman who was causing a disturbance. A bystander intervened and tried to convince the woman to leave, but instead she pulled down her pants and exposed herself. She also kicked one of the officers in the leg.
Break-Ins
The manager of a property on Regal Road reported someone entered the property at approximately 1 am on Wednesday after using a prybar to break off the lock on a gate. Several commercial and personal vehicles were entered before the man was observed on video leaving the property at 1:22 am. At least one business reported a number of tools missing from a vehicle. The suspect was described as wearing a light-coloured hoodie, a mask and a headlamp and was riding a bicycle. Anyone with information is asked to email Constable Marissa Marett at mmarett [at] guelphpolice.ca.
A 41-year-old Guelph man was charged with two counts each of theft under $5,000 and mischief under $5,000 as well as fraud under $5,000, possessing stolen property and five counts of breaching court orders for several vehicle break-ins over the last month. In one case, you used stolen credit cards take from one of the cars at a convenience store.
Impaired Driving
An 18-year-old Guelph man was charged with impaired driving, novice driver having alcohol in his system and drinking underage last Thursday after police were called about a vehicle in a ditch on Southgate Drive.
A 60-year-old Guelph man was charged with impaired operation Thursday afternoon after police spotted a man sitting in a running vehicle near Stone and Victoria. There were several empty alcohol bottles inside the car.
A 48-year-old Guelph man was charged with impaired driving, refusing to comply with a demand, dangerous driving, possessing a controlled substance and driving while suspended last Friday. One driver fled after a collision near Norfolk and Macdonell, and when officers caught up with him he had slow speech and was struggling to keep his eyes open, plus a search of the vehicle located a contaminated pipe and quantity of suspected fentanyl.
A 28-year-old North Dumfries man was arrested for impaired driving following a traffic stop last Saturday night. Breath tests revealed he had more than twice the legal amount of alcohol in his system.
Theft
At approximately 11:40 pm last Friday, a resident near Clairfields and Gibbs reported they arrived home to find a rear sliding door smashed, muddy shoe prints throughout the upper floor of the home, and thousands of dollars in watches and jewelry were missing. The investigation is ongoing, but anyone with information is asked to call Constable Layne Beaver at 519-824-1212, ext. 7607, or email lbeaver [at] guelphpolice.ca.
Theft (Auto)
An Ottawa-area woman dropped off her black 2015 Ram pickup to have a fuel leak repaired on Wednesday afternoon at a repair shop on Silvercreek Parkway North, but just before 4 am on Thursday, suspects in a black pickup arrived and smashed the Ram’s side window to gain access. They drove off with the pickup, which had a silver-coloured cargo trailer with a Michigan licence plate attached. Anyone with information is asked to email Constable Stefan Cerovac at scerovac [at] guelphpolice.ca.
On Thursday, a 22-year-old Toronto man was arrested for robbery, dangerous driving, possessing stolen property over $5,000, possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose and failing to stop after an accident for a carjacking this past summer downtown. The suspect punched the victim twice in the face and threw him to the ground before getting into the car. He had also abandoned another stolen vehicle nearby two days earlier.
Traffic
A 30-year-old Brampton man has been charged with driving a commercial motor vehicle without conducting an inspection and failing to comply with federal safety standards by transporting an insecure load, and the Calgary company that owns the truck was also charged with failing to comply with safety standards as well as failing to ensure required performance standards were met. All southbound lanes of the Hanlon Expressway were closed between Speedvale Avenue West and Downey Road from 2:30 pm on Tuesday to 12:45 am after it was determined the spilled product presented a significant fire hazard. The product was identified as styrene resin, a highly flammable hazardous material, and it leaked from the tanker due to an improperly secured hatch.
Other Notes
A 33-year-old Guelph man was charged with resisting arrest, being unlawfully in a dwelling and failing to attend court on Thursday after members of the OPP’s Repeat Offender Parole Enforcement (ROPE) unit attended an apartment building on Willow Road to arrest a man wanted on outstanding warrants. He climbed down two floors from the fourth floor balcony and then entered an unlocked second floor unit where a man and his two young children were home. The suspect ran through the apartment and out of the building where he was arrested following a brief struggle.
A 31-year-old Guelph man was arrested Monday for voyeurism, mischief and two counts of breaching release orders after recording female first year students taking part in a campus tour last month. The man was later identified and determined to have no affiliation with the university. The same man was also wanted for breaching court orders in an unrelated matter from 2024.
A 38-year-old Guelph man was arrested for committing an indecent act in public for an incident last month at Stone Road Mall when two people saw a man masturbating while looking at his phone.
A 38-year-old Guelph man was charged with arson and three counts of breaching probation orders after a fire at the Al-Fatema Islamic Centre on Stevenson Street South on Sunday. The interior of the building was completely destroyed. The man is known to the building’s owners but the fire is not believed to be hate-motivated.
Total calls for service last week: 1,621
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.
