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Male arrested for criminal harassment

April 4, 2019   ·   0 Comments

Male arrested for criminal harassment

(Essa Township) – On Thursday, March 21, 2019 at approximately 5:30 p.m., officers from the Nottawasaga Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) received a report of unknown male approaching young children in the park located on Greenwood Drive in Angus, Township of Essa.

The male approached a group of 12-year-old girls in the park and engaged the kids in conversation. He asked the girls if they wanted to play a game and would in turn give them money. The girls declined, left the area and reported the incident to a parent who called 911. The male left the area in a black Chevrolet sedan car, dirty, with a fin and a loud muffler.

Shortly after, the male was observed back in the area by a nearby resident on Greenwood Drive, engaging in conversation with a second group of children. Officers attended the area and located and arrested the male.

After further police investigation, 31-year-old Anthony HOLTORF from Clearview Township has been charged with:

Criminal Harassment X 2

Sexual Assault on Female Under 16 X 2 (Attempted)

Abduction of Person Under 16 X 2 (Attempted)

The accused has been released from custody and will attend a future court date at the Ontario Court of Justice in Bradford. 

If there is anyone who has been involved in a similar occurrence with this male, they are ask to contact the Nottawasaga OPP Crime Unit at 705-434-1939. 

Caledon OPP charge 96 distracted drivers

Officers from the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Caledon Detachment stopped and charged numerous distracted drivers throughout Caledon during the Distracted Driving Campaign (March 11 to 17).

The following charges were laid by the Caledon OPP during the campaign:

Hand-held Communications Device X 96 charges;

Careless Driving X three charges;

Speeding X 52 charges, and

Other Highway Traffic Act X 104 charges.

Distracted driving remains a serious road safety issue. The OPP is encouraging people of all ages, especially passengers, to take a firm stand against those who endanger their lives and the lives of others by using their cell phones or engaging in other forms of distractions behind the wheel.

OPP officers set up enforcement on Highway 10

Caledon OPP stopped and charged several high-speed vehicles in the area of Highway 10 between Highway 9 and Charleston Sideroad in the Town of Caledon in the last three days:

On Saturday, March 23, 2019, at about 11:12 am, a motorist was found driving 114 km/h in a 60 km/z zone in the area of Highway 10 and Mistywood Drive;

On Saturday, March 23, 2019, at about 1:08 pm, a motorist was observed operating a vehicle at 135 km/h in an 80 km/h zone on Highway 10 and Beech Grove Sideroad;

On Saturday, March 23, 2019, at 4:24 pm, a motorist was observed driving 118 km/h in a 60 km/h zone in the area of Highway 10 and Mistywood Drive.

On Sunday, March 24, 2019, at approximately 11:32 am, a driver was observed operating a vehicle at 140 km/h in an 80 km/h zone in the area on Highway 10 and Highpoint Road;

On Sunday, March 24, 2019, at approximately 1:14 p.m., a driver was observed travelling at 121 km/h in a 60 km/h zone in the area of Highway 10 and Charleston Sideroad;

On Monday, March 25, 2019, at about 11:46 am, a motorist was found driving 102 km/h in a 50 km/h zone in the area of Highway 10 and Travelled Road, and

On Monday, March 25, 2019, at approximately 12:13 pm, a driver was observed operating a vehicle at 116 km/h in 60 km/h zone in the area of Highway 10 and Mistywood Drive.

The above drivers were charged with Racing a Motor Vehicle – Excessive Speed. They also received an immediate seven-day driver’s license suspension, and their vehicles were impounded for seven days.

The OPP would like to remind drivers that the risk of suffering a serious injury or dying also increases with the higher rate of speed. Slow down.

OPP arrest two after valuables from cars were stolen in Bolton

Caledon OPP’s Street Crime Unit investigated several thefts from vehicles that occurred on March 4 in the area of King Street West and Deer Valley Drive in Bolton.

The items stolen at the time included identification, credit and debit cards. The stolen credit cards were used at several locations in the Bolton area.

As a result, a 35-year-old, of Caledon, has been charged with:

Possession of Property Obtained by Crime X 3 counts;

Unauthorized Use of a Credit Card X 3 counts;

Fraud Under $5000 X 3 counts.

Furthermore, a 33-year-old, of Caledon, has been charged with:

Possession of Property Obtained by Crime;

Unauthorized Use of a Credit Card;

Fraud Under $5000.

The accused parties are scheduled to appear at the Ontario Court of Justice in Orangeville on April 11 to answer to the charges.

OPP executes search warrant for illegal cannabis

• A 20-years-old of Hamilton

• A 23-years-old of Hamilton

• A 22-years-old of Hamilton

• A 29-year-old of Hamilton

The accused were released and are scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice, in Hamilton, at a later date.

The OPP is continuing to lead an enforcement strategy which includes other Ontario police services. This strategy will reflect actionable intelligence on illegal cannabis operations.

The focus of the strategy is to dismantle organized crime groups, eliminate the illegal cannabis supply, remove illegal cannabis enterprises such as store fronts and online, and target the proceeds of crime and assets.

Any person with information regarding this incident should immediately contact the Ontario Provincial Police at 1-888-310-1122 or their nearest police authority.

Technology-based purchases attract crimnals

Members of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Anti-Rackets Branch, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) and Ontario’s Serious Fraud Office (SFO) say E-commerce scams are rising as more people use technology to buy and sell goods. 

Using the internet has certainly made e-commerce more convenient for consumers but has increased the likelihood of victimization by fraud. Consumers and merchants need to be vigilant when purchasing or selling online. Combined CAFC statistics estimate losses of $6.3 million Canada-wide in 2018.

Before buying or selling with technology, ensure you are familiar with the person or company with whom you are doing business. Do your homework by independently verifying who they are. Some online research could help you verify or identify previous complaints that may have been reported through a company website. Verify any information that is offered. If there isn’t enough detail provided, ask for more information to satisfy all of your concerns. Remember…time is on your side as most purchases or sales are not urgent. If a sale occurs, verify the payment has been made. If the amount is in excess of the agreed upon price, it is likely a scam. Sellers should be cautious of shipping any merchandise before payment has been received and confirmed to be legitimate. Ultimately, it is the purchaser’s and vendor’s responsibility to verify a transaction. 

Investigators have seen an increase in “Card Not Present” scams which target merchants. The SFO relates an incident about an entrepreneur who opened an online business to sell electronic devices and parts. Taking precautions, the business owner used a popular bank’s security feature to process credit card payments. Unfortunately, products were purchased by suspects using bogus credit cards that were approved by the bank’s security feature. Unfortunately, the vendor didn’t wait long enough to confirm the payment was real and, as a result, the items were shipped. Once the fraudulent purchase occurred, the additional security measures protected the owner — but the purchases continued unabated. After only three months, the owner was forced to shut down his website, sustaining losses of approximately $50,000 worth of merchandise and refunds.

How to protect yourself from e-commerce scams

·        Check reviews on the seller. Look for reports of bad experiences;

·        Deal directly with reputable companies or individuals;

·        Verify the seller’s information – is the phone number or email address legitimate?

·        Beware of pop-ups that direct you away from the original page;

·        Read the terms and conditions to better understand the payment options, return policy and warranty;

·        Verify if you have fraud coverage on the payment method you are using; and,

·        If your company is receiving funds, wait until the payment clears your bank or credit card account before shipping the item.

If you or someone you know suspect they’ve been a victim of an E-commerce Scam, contact your financial services company and your local police service. You can also file a complaint through the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre website  or by phone at 1-888-495-8501. 

“Recognize, Reject and Report Fraud”

Learn more

During the month of March, the OPP and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre partners – Ontario’s Serious Fraud Office, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the Competition Bureau of Canada -, are joining police services across the country to help prevent all Canadians from becoming victims of fraud. 

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