A grandmother was accused of allegedly using her grandchildren to shoplift from a store near The Citadel Mall, Colorado Springs police said.

Trina Chavez-Hutchins, 43, was arrested on suspicion of theft and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, a felony, records show.

Police reviewed surveillance footage from Sportsmans’ Warehouse at 555 North Chelton Rd. for a theft that had taken place Sunday, police said.

The video allegedly showed a woman, later identified as Chavez-Hutchins, selecting items from the shelves with her 10-year-old grandson and 7-year-old granddaughter and placing them into a basket, police said.

A witness told officers that the woman then ran out the door and yelled at her grandchildren to “hurry, get in the car,” according to police reports.

Witnesses at the store gave investigators the license plate number of the vehicle Chavez-Hutchins was seen driving. Police tracked her down to a residence on the 4800 block of Live Oak Drive, off South Chelton Road and Hancock Expressway.

On Monday, police recovered about half of the stolen merchandise valued at about $360 and took Chavez-Hutchins into custody, according to police reports.

The Department of Human Services was also contacted about the incident. Police said the investigation is ongoing.

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