A Durham man was arrested Thursday and charged with stealing several laptop computers from businesses at 201 West Main Street in downtown Durham.

The first theft was reported on Dec. 17, when an employee of a business at 201 West Main Street returned to her office and discovered that her laptop computer and purse had been stolen.

On Wednesday employees of another business in the same building reported that someone entered their offices and stole three laptop computers.

Officers were given a description of the suspect in both cases. On Thursday, Master Officer E.C. Baker, who works in a satellite police substation at 201 West Main Street, spotted a man matching the suspect's description and officers detained him.

Investigators charged the man, Joe Lee Adams, 52, of Liberty Street, with four counts of felony larceny. Adams was on parole after being released from prison in September 2008. He had served 20 years of a 43-year sentence for burglary and larceny charges. He was placed in Durham County Jail Thursday under a $5,000 bond.