Man found in dumpster, charged for string of Howard County burglaries

COLUMBIA, Md. -  

After weeks of investigating seemingly-related Howard County burglaries, police finally found their suspect, in a dumpster.

All of the December burglaries happened in Ellicott City homes close to one another, where the victims were sleeping, and had left a door unlocked. Items like laptops, Apple products, wallets, purses, credit cards and money were stolen from each home.

Tracking their suspect

Howard County detectives found that several of the victims’ stolen credit cards were being used around the same area in Baltimore.

During their investigation detectives developed Cornelius Antonio McRae, 23, of Baltimore, as a possible suspect.

Detectives tried to find McRae on January 6, when they saw a 2013 Silver Honda Pilot that he had recently been seen in parked in Columbia.

Police quickly found that a burglary had happened close by, on Tamar Drive. 

After police began to approach him, McRae ran away.

Police found McRae hiding in a nearby dumpster.  After he has arrested police found the victim’s wallet and credit cards in the dumpster.

McRae is facing four counts each of first-degree burglary, third-degree burglary, fand ourth-degree burglary, theft. He is facing one count of second-degree assault from the January 6 incident, and from three Ellicott City incidents on December 17.

McRae is being held on $300,000 bond.