Police: Shrewsbury Man Caught Breaking into House in Newport, RI Said he was Drugged

Police in Newport, R.I., caught a man in the act of breaking into a house in their city early Tuesday morning after he triggered an alarm at around 3:20 a.m.

Police said Patrick Kennedy Roque, 45, of 17 Nightingale Road, Shrewsbury, Mass., was arrested by officers who responded to the alarm at a house on Sharon Court when he walked out the front door and claimed that he was allowed to be inside and it belonged to his cousin “Sharon.”

But a check by police showed that “Sharon” did not own the house. In fact, the property owner was reached by phone while on vacation in New York who said she did not know Roque nor should he be in the house.

According to a police report, the alarm sounded at 3:22 a.m. and upon arrival, police checked the outside of the property, noticing a gate leading to the back yard was ajar.

Police could see movement inside the house through the windows and heard someone walking around.

Roque then walked out the front door a short time later.

Police said nothing appeared to be taken, but Roque had used the bathroom and failed to flush the toilet, leaving the light and fan on.

Several items in the bathroom and living room had been strewn about.

Roque said he was out drinking for most of the night before he got into the house.

“He believed that someone may have drugged him leaving him with no understanding of why he was in [the] house,” the police report stated.

Police said Roque did show signs of intoxication and as taken into custody without incident.

He was held for arraignment later on Tuesday.