PORTSMOUTH — A Middletown man broke into a barn on church property so he could charge his cell phone and electronic tablet, according to police. 

Alan F. Ferkinhoff, 35, of 230 Gossets Turn Drive, Middletown, was charged at about 12:45 a.m. on Sunday, April 30, with breaking and entering on the property of St. Mary’s Church on East Main Road. 

Police first responded to the church for a report of a suspicious person nearly three hours earlier. There they met Mr. Ferkinhoff, who said he had walked from Middletown to St. Mary’s for exercise, police said. 

Later, however, police said they found a vehicle registered to Mr. Ferkinhoff near a two-level barn on the property. An extension cord ran from an electrical outlet in the barn to Mr. Ferkinhoff’s car, where a phone and electronic tablet were being charged, according to police. No one was allowed to be inside the barn at the time, a church official told police. 

Mr. Ferkinhoff was no longer on the scene but was later found in the Lawton Valley area, police said. He acknowledged he had entered the barn several times throughout the week so he could charge his devices because “money is tight,” according to police.

Here are some more highlights from the Portsmouth Police reports from over the past week:

Tuesday, April 25

Christopher J. Pace, 34, of 465 Whipple St., Fall River, was charged at 3:10 p.m. on a bench warrant issued from 2nd District Court. Police arrested Mr. Pace while responding to a report of a suspicious person at Founders Brook Motel.

Wednesday, April 26

Leigh M. Hovanec, 24, of 185 Robert Gray Ave., Tiverton, was charged with driving while intoxicated shortly before midnight. Police said they stopped her car on West Main Road at Turkey Hill for speeding and drifting between lanes.

Thursday, April 27

Patrick M. Baker, 48, of 79 Miantonomi Ave., Middletown, was charged with reckless driving at about 6:10 p.m. According to police, witnesses said Mr. Baker had cut off another driver and hit the front end of another vehicle, causing an accident on Route 24 South at Turnpike Avenue. The driver of the other car complained of head pain and was transported by the Fire Department to Newport Hospital for an evaluation.

Friday, April 28

A 25-year-old Providence woman sustained minor injuries when the vehicle she was driving flipped over on West Main Road at the Route 24 North on-ramp at about 4:30 p.m. When police arrived, they found the driver, Kyhamalich Montilla, still partially inside the Hyundai Accent on the passenger side. She was able to crawl out of the vehicle and firefighters transported her to Newport Hospital for medical attention. Witnesses told police that a second vehicle, a black sedan, was operating north on West Main Road in the left lane when it suddenly crossed over the lane divider in order to take the Route 24 North on-ramp. The vehicle cut off the Montilla car, causing it to lose control and mount the curb onto the grassy median, according to police. The car rolled over three times before coming to a rest on its roof, police said. The sedan, which possibly had Texas plates, continued north on Route 24, police said. 

Sunday, April 30

Molly B. McComas, 25, of 33 Long Shore Road, Apt. 33, was charged with assault at about 2:25 p.m. Witnesses told police she punched a 24-year-old local woman in the face several times while the victim sat in her parked vehicle at Bank Newport on East Main Road. Police said the victim, who was bleeding from the nose, was transported to Newport Hospital for treatment.

Monday, May 1

Cynthia J. King, 30, of 40 Maple St., Somerset, was charged shortly after 2 a.m. with driving while intoxicated. According to police, the vehicle Ms. King was driving was pulled over on Route 24 North because it was being operated erratically, drifting between lanes and exceeding the speed limit. She was also charged with refusing to submit to a chemical test.

Glenn P. Dufault, 47, of 16 Rogers Lane, Middletown, was charged at 6 p.m. on a Superior Court bench warrant. Mr. Dufault was a passenger in a car that was stopped on West Main Road near the Middletown line because he was not wearing a seatbelt, according to police. 

Cynthia A. Andrews, 45, of 21 Congregational St., Bristol, was charged with domestic assault at about 10:10 p.m. Witnesses told police that Ms. Andrews had punched a 45-year-old man during an argument inside a home in Portsmouth.