Cameron Village burglary suspect charged with jewelry theft during Raleigh open house

Isaac Corben Mau, 24, of 1535 Caraleigh Mills Court, was arrested on June 5 on a charge of felony larceny.

According to a search warrant released Wednesday, a woman selling her home on Park Drive – the house is a block from Cameron Village – reported a theft on June 3. The woman said several pieces of jewelry were missing after an open house, and home security video showed a man rifling through dresser drawers and a closet.

The following day, the man caught on the security camera returned to the home with a friend and asked to look through the house again, according to the search warrant, and security cameras again caught the man going through drawers. The woman recognized the man from the earlier security video and called police, but he and his friend had left by the time officers arrived.

Police were able to identify Mau as a suspect, and after arresting him, he turned over several of the items reported missing, along with two items that the homeowner didn't realize had been taken, according to the search warrant. But one ring was still missing, so police obtained the search warrant to look for it in his home.

The homeowner declined to comment Monday, saying she had gotten most of her jewelry back and just wanted to sell her house and move on.

Shop owners at Cameron Village said they were glad Mau was apprehended.

Police say Mau cut through the walls of Antiques Emporium and Cheshire Cat Gallery at the shopping center in January. He slipped in and out of the stores over several days, police said, and he made off with two samurai swords, although he was unable smash some glass cases where jewelry was displayed. The Raleigh police SWAT team was able to corner him on the roof of a building and take him into custody.

"I'm sure it's happened before, and he's probably gotten away with a few things," said Jim Sugar, the owner of Cheshire Cat Gallery.