Police report a mother who didn't pay for her gas at Casey's left two of her children behind when she left.Jefferson police told KCCI that the incident happened at the Casey's Store on 508 North Elm St. about 4 p.m.Latoya Watkins, 35, of Fort Dodge, left her 8-year-old and 11-year-old sons alone at the Casey's store Thursday for over an hour.“I'm not a mother, but I wouldn't leave my kids at a store for almost two hours," said Ashley Defenbaugh, an employee at the Jefferson Casey’s.Watkins told employees she needed to run across the street to get money from Hy-Vee to pay for gas she just pumped.“The kids were good,” Defenbaugh said. “They actually played hide and go seek the whole time.”Casey’s employees called Jefferson police after waiting nearly two hours for Watkins to return.“She'd already been gone almost two hours, and so who knows if it would have been longer," Defenbaugh said.Police found Watkins' car around 4:15 p.m. in the Hy-Vee parking lot, around 2.5 after Watkins had left her sons at Casey's.Police said a deputy found Watkins and her daughter, 11, inside the grocery store. Police arrested Watkins, and the children were taken into protective custody.According to police reports, Watkins was also banned from the Wild Rose Casino the morning she left the children at the gas station. The staff at the casino said Watkins was disorderly and disrupted business at the casino.Watkins was charged with two counts of child endangerment.

Police report a mother who didn't pay for her gas at Casey's left two of her children behind when she left.

Jefferson police told KCCI that the incident happened at the Casey's Store on 508 North Elm St. about 4 p.m.

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[VIDEO: Police: Mom who didn't pay for gas leaves 2 kids at Casey's]

Latoya Watkins, 35, of Fort Dodge, left her 8-year-old and 11-year-old sons alone at the Casey's store Thursday for over an hour.

“I'm not a mother, but I wouldn't leave my kids at a store for almost two hours," said Ashley Defenbaugh, an employee at the Jefferson Casey’s.

Watkins told employees she needed to run across the street to get money from Hy-Vee to pay for gas she just pumped.

“The kids were good,” Defenbaugh said. “They actually played hide and go seek the whole time.”



Casey’s employees called Jefferson police after waiting nearly two hours for Watkins to return.



“She'd already been gone almost two hours, and so who knows if it would have been longer," Defenbaugh said.



Police found Watkins' car around 4:15 p.m. in the Hy-Vee parking lot, around 2.5 after Watkins had left her sons at Casey's.



Police said a deputy found Watkins and her daughter, 11, inside the grocery store. Police arrested Watkins, and the children were taken into protective custody.



According to police reports, Watkins was also banned from the Wild Rose Casino the morning she left the children at the gas station. The staff at the casino said Watkins was disorderly and disrupted business at the casino.



Watkins was charged with two counts of child endangerment.

