Charges tonight against women involved in a rare crime full of strange twists. Three women held up four businesses in just under three hours with three kids inside the getaway car. Robbery charges have just been filed against the women. Emily Donner, Amy Gaten and Erin Lynch are each charged with four counts of first-degree robbery and armed criminal action

They didn't go too far at first. Their first stop was at beauty salon just a few blocks away from their south Springfield apartment complex. Stylists inside the Beauty First Salon say these women planned out their spree.

Beauty First stylist Beth Clancy says, “The receptionist came back and said we just got robbed.” The salon was the first on three women robbers' hit list. Beauty First stylist Jana Phillips says, "I was thinking maybe they stole some shampoo but then I heard they had a gun.” Two of the women grabbed cash from the register while stylists in back had no clue what was going on. Phillips questions, "I mean who robs a salon?” Even more strange, three little kids where inside the getaway car. Clancy says, “I just can't believe that."
Neither can a neighbor who saw the women almost every day. She says she's never seen kids coming or going from their apartment. She says, "They just didn't seem like those type of girls."

Inside the salon, employees don't think these robbers were amateurs. The stylists think the robbers knew exactly what they were doing. They made their way through the salon and out this back door that's usually only used by employees. The say they knew they could hop right into their getaway car outside.

Three other businesses were robbed right after the salon. A tobacco shop, pizza place and radio shack. Phillips says, "I just think it’s strange they were woman. I think they thought robbing a salon would be easy because it’s all women who work here.” Maybe it was easy but there was no big pay off. Clancy says, "Most people pay checks or debit cards so it couldn't have been a large sum of money. It just doesn't make sense at all."

The three children are in emergency protective custody. A judge will decide what's next for them. Police say they don't know they're exact ages but think two were toddlers and one was an infant. All of the children belonged to 21-year-old Gaten.