Oct. 20, 2006 - A fingerprint left during a hotel robbery last month led to the arrest of an Arlington man who police said robbed at least nine other businesses.

William Oliver Lockett, 39, was being held in the Arlington Jail on Thursday on charges of robbing 10 hotels over the last two months. Bail was set at $75,000.

Grapevine and Bedford authorities are reviewing evidence to see whether Mr. Lockett is linked to hotel robberies there.

Police traced a fingerprint left Sept. 20 at the Town Place Suites by Marriott in Arlington to Mr. Lockett.

"He placed his hands on the counter, and that's where we got the print that led to his arrest," said Arlington police spokeswoman Christy Gilfour.

A man robbed the hotel in the 1700 block of East Lamar Boulevard of payroll checks and cash, police said.

Mr. Lockett was arrested about 5 a.m. Thursday near his home in the 2500 block of Hollandale Circle in far east Arlington, Ms. Gilfour said.

He also is a suspect in two heists that took place Wednesday. The InnTown Suites in the 1700 block of Oak Village Boulevard was robbed about 9 a.m., officials said.

Two hours later, a man held up the Candlewood Suites in the 2200 block of Brookhollow Plaza.

The charges against Mr. Lockett include aggravated robbery and possession of a controlled substance, Ms. Gilfour said.

Aggravated robbery carries a sentence of five to 99 years in prison.

Mr. Lockett has been to prison for aggravated burglary twice, said Michelle Lyons, spokeswoman for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

In 1991, he was sentenced to 15 years. He was released on parole in 1997 and later imprisoned again. He was released on parole last November after serving six years.

The recent string of robberies prompted the Arlington Convention and Visitors Bureau to offer $1,000 in seed money to build a reward pool for tips that would help catch the crook, said Linda DiMario, president and CEO of the bureau.

Arlington hotels offered donations ranging from $250 to $500, and Crime Stoppers added $1,000, bringing the total to $3,850.

"This was the first time we had to take that measure," Ms. DiMario said. "There was clearly a pattern, and we believed Arlington [police] was doing the best they could to cover the area, but they couldn't be responsible for 50 hotels 24 hours a day. So we created a fund to help catch the suspect."

Ms. DiMario said it wasn't clear yet if a tipster would receive money.

Staff writer Kimberly Durnan contributed to this report.

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