A 37-year-old man wanted in two Howard County robberies was arrested Friday afternoon when police said he tried to rob a convenience store on Frederick Road in Baltimore County, police said.

Officers arrested Derrick Anthony Fields about 4 p.m. after a botched armed robbery at a High's store, county police said.

Fields was being held at the Wilkens Precinct lockup, charged with robbery and filing a false statement. A bail review hearing is set for Monday.

Fields was wanted by Howard County police in two Columbia robberies -- an Oct. 10 purse snatching in which the victim was kicked in the chest as her purse was taken, and an Oct. 13 robbery of a photography shop at the Harper's Choice Village Center, police said.

Lt. Bill Pollack of Howard County's northern police district described Fields yesterday as a suspect in a string of other robberies in Howard and Baltimore counties and in Baltimore City.

"We're going to handle this like a serial-robbery suspect," Pollack said.

Fields gave no address to police, telling them he was homeless, an officer at the Wilkens Precinct station said.

Fields has listed a past address in the 800 block of Blue Pool in the Village of Long Reach in Columbia, said Sgt. Morris Carroll, a spokesman for Howard County police.

Carroll said Howard police also are investigating Fields in connection with four other convenience-store robberies in the county in recent weeks.

Pub Date: 10/25/98