Nassau County police say Michael Hammond of Massapequa Park was arrested on Sunday after allegedly removing a pocketbook from the cart of an 86-year-old woman in North Bellmore.
Police say he had stolen a pocketbook from the shopping cart of a 67-year-old woman in North Massapequa earlier in the day.
An investigation determined that he had committed similar thefts on May 1 and May 2, both in Freeport.
Police say officers also recovered a small amount of heroin in the defendant's car.
Hammond was charged with four counts of grand larceny and criminal possession of a controlled substance.
It wasn't immediately clear if Hammond had a lawyer.