Roanoke County police have arrested a man in a string of break-ins over the past three months.

Detectives are investigating Raymond Matthew Dillon, 23, of Roanoke for at least seven burglaries in the area from Mount Pleasant to Yellow Mountain Road, said Lt. Chuck Mason.

Witnesses told police that they had noticed a red SUV in the area during the time of the break-ins, Mason said.

In October, a resident saw the vehicle parked on 18th Street in Southeast Roanoke and called police with the license plate number.

Detectives learned that the vehicle was registered to a person related to Dillon, who was wanted on burglary and grand larceny charges. Those charges stem from the July theft of power tools from a county fire station that was being constructed on Hershberger Road near Plantation Road.

Police arrested Dillon on those charges on Oct. 12. He bonded out of jail the same day.

Two days later, police obtained arrest warrants charging Dillon with a burglary at a house in the area of Twelve O'Clock Knob.

He was arrested after a short chase on foot, Mason said.

During a search of his house and vehicle, police found more than 60 pieces of jewelry, a diamond tester and black leather gloves, among other items, according to a search warrant filed last month in Roanoke Circuit Court.

They also found items at local pawn shops that had been reported stolen. The pawn shops' records show that Dillon is the person who sold the items to the pawn shops, the search warrant said.

Detectives matched some of the recovered items to seven break-ins in the Mount Pleasant area, Mason said. They are still working to match other items.

Dillon is charged with four counts of burglary, three counts of grand larceny and one count of attempted grand larceny. He is also charged with seven counts of obtaining money by false pretenses in the pawning of the stolen items.

Dillon is being held in the Roanoke County-Salem Jail without bond.