Waterloo Regional Police are encouraging residents in North Dumfries, Wilmot, Wellesley and Woolwich townships to lock their vehicles, homes and outbuildings after receiving several reports of thefts of vehicles, thefts from vehicles and residential break-ins.

Since the beginning of 2022, Waterloo Regional Police say they’ve received seven reports of residential break and enters, primarily from sheds and garages, nine stolen vehicles, including six motor vehicles, and 11 thefts from motor vehicles in the townships.

Charges have been laid in four of the nine stolen-vehicle occurrences and two break and enters. Members of Waterloo Regional Police Service’s Property and Financial Crime Unit are actively investigating a number of these incidents and further arrests and charges are anticipated.

In many cases, stolen vehicles had been left unlocked or unattended to warm up.

To reduce the chances of your vehicle being stolen while warming up, it is essential that you never leave it unattended with a key in the ignition. To deter theft from motor vehicles, ensure vehicles are locked and valuables are not left in plain sight, said police in a release.

Police remind residents to keep all residential doors locked, even if you are home. Anywhere you keep valuables should be locked. This includes garages, sheds and your residence.

If your home, outbuildings or vehicles have been broken into, file a police report immediately. This will assist police in tracking patterns of criminal behaviour and potentially identify suspects.

Thefts from motor vehicles can be reported online by visiting www.wrps.on.ca. For break and enters and thefts of motor vehicles, call police at 519-570-9777 (WRPS). For any incident that is in progress, call 911.

JANUARY 8

11:37 AM | Police were advised of damage that occurred to a mailbox on Weimar Line in Wellesley Township. The damage is believed to have occurred sometime between January 7 at 4 p.m. and January 8 at 11 a.m..

JANUARY 9

2:33 PM | Emergency crews responded to a report of a fire at a Knapp Road, Woolwich residence. The small fire on the second floor of the building was extinguished before Woolwich firefighters arrived, with department staff verifying that the fire was completely extinguished, and assisting the residents as required. 

JANUARY 10

9:43 AM | Police were advised of damage that occurred to a mailbox on Weimar Line in Wellesley Township. The damage is believed to have occurred sometime prior to 10 p.m. on January 9.

12:05 PM | Waterloo Regional Police responded to a report of a single-vehicle collision in the area of Schummer Line and Manser Road in Wellesley Township. The driver was operating a road grader on Schummer Line, reversing for a second pass of snow removal, when a blade of the grader struck a hydro pole at low speeds. There were no reported injuries. Power was out for a short time in the area.

2:18 PM | A two-vehicle collision brought police to Ament Line in Wellesley Township. A driver was travelling west on Ament Line when they lost control of their vehicle, crossing the centre line and striking a vehicle travelling east. As a result of the collision, the second vehicle left the roadway, causing damage to a property fence, telephone/cable box, a road sign and natural-gas marker. No injuries were reported. A 30-year-old Kitchener man was charged with ‘careless driving.’

JANUARY 11

4:06 PM | Waterloo Regional Police responded to a report of a single-vehicle collision on Ament Line near Lavery Road in Wellesley Township. A driver was operating a vehicle heading north on Ament Line when the they lost control and the vehicle left the roadway and struck a pole. No physical injuries were reported and road conditions due to weather are believed to have been a contributing factor.

11:27 PM | A two-vehicle collision brought police to King Street North and Lobsinger Line south of St. Jacobs. A driver was operating a vehicle travelling south on King Street North when their vehicle was struck from behind by another vehicle, also travelling south. One driver was transported by ambulance to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. A 41-year-old Kitchener man was charged with ‘careless driving.’ 

JANUARY 12

5:30 PM | Perth County OPP responded to a collision that had just occurred on Perth Road 119, south of Gads Hill. The person of interest had been driving dangerously, and came to a stop in front of another vehicle, before they got out and threatened the other driver. The person of interest then got back in the vehicle, reversed into the other car, and fled the scene. The person of interest is described as a Black male, approximately 5’9” with a slim build, possibly with a beard and/or facial tattoos, and wearing black jacket and darker coloured pants. The vehicle is described as a red Chevrolet Cruz that may have rear-end damage/paint marks. Anyone with information regarding this or any incident is asked to call the OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or online at www.opp.ca/reporting. Should you wish to remain anonymous you can call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or leave an anonymous online message at www.P3tips.com where you may be eligible to receive a cash reward of up to $2,000.

5:30 PM | Wellington County OPP responded to a serious collision involving two vehicles on Wellington Road 16, near Belwood Lake. Initial reports indicated that a pickup truck and minivan had collided and that multiple parties had suffered serious injuries. OPP, Centre Wellington Fire Rescue and Guelph Wellington Paramedics Service attended the scene and treated five patients. A 31-year-old driver was transported to a trauma centre with life threatening injuries. The Wellington County OPP is asking anyone that may have witnessed this collision to please call 1-888-310-1122.

JANUARY 13

4:00 AM | Wellington County OPP received 14 reports of thefts from vehicles across the village of Drayton. Sometime between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m., unknown suspects targeted the residential area for vehicles entries.OPP continue to investigate and are asking anyone in the area who believes they were the targeted of this crime or have access to surveillance footage of the area to contact Wellington County OPP at 1-888-310-1122.

JANUARY 16

10:20 AM | Waterloo Regional Police received a report of a vehicle stolen from the area of Centennial Road and Forwell Road in Kitchener. At approximately 1:10 p.m., officers located the stolen vehicle in the area of Courtland Avenue East and Ottawa Street South. The four occupants of the vehicle were seen fleeing the area on foot. Officers engaged in foot pursuits and located the occupants a short distance away. Through investigation, it was determined that the four individuals were also in possession of a stolen utility trailer, which they abandoned at the side of the road in Wellesley Township.  As a result of the investigation, a 27-year-old Perth County woman and three males have been jointly charged with two counts of ‘possession of stolen property over $5,000.’  Officers seized a prohibited weapon, suspected methamphetamine and break and enter tools.  The investigation remains ongoing and additional charges are anticipated.

JANUARY 18

12:35 AM |  A fatal collision occurred on Line 86 between Lichty Road and Manser Road in Wellesley Township. Police report that a 49-year-old Kitchener man had lost control of his vehicle on the Line 86. A 35-year-old Listowel male stopped to assist and both were out of their vehicles. At approximately 12:30 a.m., a shuttle bus travelling east on Line 86 struck both males outside of their vehicle. The Kitchener man was pronounced deceased as a result of the collision. The Listowel man who had stopped to assist was transported to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. A 49-year-old male, the driver of the shuttle bus, was transported to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Some of the passengers on the shuttle bus were also transported to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

7:10 AM | Another fatal collision brought police to Powell Road between Line 86 and Posey Line in Wellesley Township. The investigation determined that a tractor had lost control, entered the ditch and rolled over. The driver and lone occupant, a 20-year-old Wellesley Township male, was pronounced deceased as a result of the collision.