Help Me Howard: Ray's Burglar

WSVN -- The gentleman seemed so well mannered, politely knocking on the door then ringing the bell. Ray Corral is used to that.

Ray Corral: "I get a lot of people that come by and take pictures of the home. A lot of people stop by, knock on the door."

They ask about Ray's landscaping and the beautiful mosaic works that grace the outside of his home all done by Ray.

Ray Corral: "Well, what I do is I have a mosaic company, and I am an artist."

I doubt the fellow who was knocking knew that Ray's company is very popular, designing and installing the handmade glass mosaic finishes on pools, walls, even buildings.

Ray Corral: "People will put this on a pool, make huge medallions and motifs, such as dolphins."

And apparently this fine young man was eager to see the mosaic work for himself. As his partner, who had dropped him off in this white vehicle pulled forward, our friend must have felt a cool breeze. He pulled a hood over his head, allegedly jumped a fence and went to the backyard.

Ray Corral: "He didn't even cut the wires. He yanked my telephone lines."

After disabling the alarm, he decided to tour Ray's house.

Ray Corral: "He used his hand, just busted the window, pushed this up and came in through here."

Inside, he stole a TV, some watches, some of Ray's shoes and a loaded 9 mm Glock. Then he left, rudely, I might add, not bothering to close the door behind him. Five minutes later, the cameras show Ray pulling up.

Ray Corral: "One of the things that was stolen was a gun, and so it was great that I didn't meet up with him because it was loaded."

We know all of this because Ray has nine surveillance cameras. You can see them all over the place. Apparently our video star was so enamored with the landscaping he missed them.

Ray Corral: "We know who he is. We know what he looks like."

We can be sarcastic about another home broken into, but it's a serious problem.

Ray Corral: "This is the reason why I went to you guys for help to get his face out there and hopefully someone will identify him."

Identify this now suspected armed burglar who is not only dangerous, but, Howard says, is in deep trouble.

Howard Finkelstein: "This seems like a residential burglary that we see way too much, but this burglar made a tremendous mistake when he stole Ray's gun. That turned a run of the mill burglary into one that could get him a life sentence because, in the eyes of the law, he became an armed burglar."

When I spoke to the Miami detective investigating the case, he said the best way to catch Ray's burglar was to put it on TV and for people to call Crimestoppers if they know who the suspect is. Ray wants to add some incentive. He is offering $1,000 reward to the person who can tell the police who this guy is.

Ray wants him off the streets, so he doesn't kill someone with that gun and doesn't come back to hit Ray again.

Ray Corral: "I have been broken into. This is going be the fourth time in eight years."

Patrick Fraser: "Ray is hoping to avoid getting hit a fifth time. He has installed a new alarm and is putting in impact-resistant windows, and if you think you know who the burglar was and need $1,000, call Crimestoppers because the next person he may hit may be you."

Got the lights, the camera but no action on your problem? Steal a glance at us. We'll show you on TV and hand you a picture perfect solution.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers:
305-471-TIPS
www.crimestoppersmiami.com

Broward County Crime Stoppers:
954-493-TIPS
www.browardcrimestoppers.org

EMAIL: helpmehoward@wsvn.com (Please include your contact phone number when emailing)
MIAMI-DADE: 305-953-WSVN
BROWARD: 954-761-WSVN