The Guelph Police High Enforcement Action Team (or HEAT) have arrested five male suspects from Guelph in connection to break and enters that date back to November of 2017.
Police say they initiated an investigation in November 2017 for a break and enter at a storage locker facility on Watson Parkway, that saw about 70 storage units have their locks cut and several items removed from inside. The suspects in that incident were apparently then scared off by a resident of the apartments nearby and police were able to recover some items that were left behind.
Later that month, police also investigated attempted break and enters at two residential buildings located on Marilyn Drive. Further investigation linked the two incidents together and officers were able to identify the five suspects involved.
The five Guelph men have been identified as four adults and one male youth.
The adults are 25-year-old James Ironside, 25-year-old Jake Malott, 25-year-old Benn Witteveen and 24-year-old Tyler Riediger. Police will not be releasing the identity of the youth involved due to the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
They all face joint charges for conspiracy to commit a break and enter as well as a charge for actually committing a break and enter. They were also charged for being found in possession of break and enter tools and disguises with intent.
Riediger and Malott were both further charged for breaching previous court orders in the Watson Parkway and Marilyn Drive investigation. Ben Witteveen was further charged with two counts of breaching his probation order in the second incident.
Police were able to track down these suspects and arrest them accordingly in the second week of January with the exception of Witteveen, who police say was arrested and charged on January 23. All four adults will appear in court next month.