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A District Heights man has been arrested for a series of thefts from vehicles that occurred in parks around the Washington, D.C., metropolitan region, Montgomery County Police announced Thursday.

Oliver Eric Lopez, 41, was arrested Jan. 21 and charged with seven thefts from automobiles both near the C&O Canal in Montgomery County and in Watkins Park in Upper Marlboro, officials said Thursday.

Police believe Lopez may be responsible for several additional thefts reported in the parks and at least one reported in Fairfax County.

Montgomery County police said between March and September, Lopez targeted cars parked in parks on weekends and would break into a single vehicle each time, taking purses and wallets. He would then use stolen credit cards at CVS Pharmacies and Giant grocery stores in Maryland and Virginia.

Two thefts attributed to Lopez occurred in Watkins Park, said Lt. Stan Johnson, a spokesman for the Maryland-National Capital Park Police in Prince George's. Items worth more than $500 were taken from each of the vehicles, which were broken into in August and September. Credit cards also were stolen and used later for fraudulent purchases.

Montgomery County police said the thefts, which were reported along the 10800 block of MacArthur Boulevard in Potomac, occurred as individuals used the C&O Canal.

"These were all victims that had come to the area to jog, walk or kayak," said spokeswoman Lucille Baur. "The real word of caution here is anytime you leave something in your car, you've got to stow it in your trunk or somewhere that it can't be seen."

Lopez is currently being held at the Montgomery County Detention Center on a $10,000 bond, along with detainers from Anne Arundel and Fairfax counties. A hearing will be held for the theft cases on March 1 in the District Court of Montgomery County. Court documents did not list an attorney for Lopez.

E-mail Andrea Noble at anoble@gazette.net.