PORTLAND — A Portland woman who faces charges of stealing a pickup truck from a construction site guarded by two officers said she needed the truck to move some furniture, police said.

Mary Nyembo, 21, of Cumberland Avenue, was walking past a road construction site at Washington Avenue and Presumpscot Street at 9 a.m. Tuesday when she climbed into the black 2010 Ford F-150 pickup and drove off, police said.

The owner came running up to the two officers working a safety detail at the construction site, whose cruisers were running their blue emergency lights, and reported that someone had just driven off with his truck and he pointed it out heading west on Washington Avenue. He said he had left the keys in the center console.

The officers pulled the truck over at Ocean Avenue and arrested Nyembo on charges including unauthorized use of property, driving after being declared a habitual motor vehicle offender and violating bail conditions. Nyembo told the officer she had to move some furniture and the truck looked like it would serve the purpose, police said.

She is being held without bail pending a court appearance.