Barrington police charged Ervina Sinko, 42, of Fall River, with possession of a stolen vehicle or stolen vehicle parts, after she allegedly took a friend's car, drove it onto Barrington Beach at about 9 p.m. on Sunday night, and later got the car stuck in a ditch near RISD beach.

A resident spotted the car driving down the beach and called police. An officer tracked down the car — it traveled west from Barrington Beach to RISD beach, where it careened into a ditch.

The car was empty, but the officer spotted footprints in the sand heading toward Watson Avenue. Police later tracked down the driver, believed to be Ms. Sinko, at a County Road gas station.

Police used the vehicle registration to find its rightful owner, a Fall River man. Officers spoke with the man, who said Ms. Sinko had taken his car without permission earlier that evening.