Woman accused of using daughters to steal cash from liquor store

A young girl was allegedly left in the desert by her mother last Friday night to watch over thousands of dollars which was taken during a robbery at a Landers’ liquor store.

And deputies with the Morongo Basin Sheriff’s Station said the suspect is also accused of using her other young daughter to distract the liquor store clerk so she could grab the cash from the register.

Deputies said 35-year-old Jennifer Brannon of Landers is facing child endangerment charges in the aftermath of the robbery at Mohave Liquor.

The liquor store clerk said at about 10:30 p.m., a young girl asked him for help reaching an item in the back of the store. When he returned to the front counter, he found the drawer open and the bank bag with all the day’s funds missing.

Brannon showed up to the store awhile later to pick up her daughter, whom deputies said was used as a distraction in the robbery. Brannon’s story differed from her daughters’ and the two were detained at that time, according to the sheriff’s release.

Deputies reviewed surveillance video from the robbery and the investigation revealed that Brannon used one of her daughters as a lookout and sent the other inside to distract the clerk.

Brannon allegedly entered the store while covering her face and wearing gloves, stole thousands of dollars and ran to an awaiting vehicle.

While her ‘distraction’ daughter was left in the store, she ended up driving a couple of miles away to change her clothes and shoes. She is then accused of leaving her ‘lookout’ daughter in the desert with all of the cash and clothing worn during the robbery, while she went to pick up her other daughter from the liquor store, deputies said in the release.

Authorities said they found the ‘lookout’ daughter near the area where Brannon left her several hours earlier. They said the young girl was found with the thousands of dollars of cash stolen from the liquor store and deputies also found the stolen bank bag and suspect’s clothing buried in the desert nearby.

Brannon was arrested on charges of child endangerment but authorities didn’t mention any charges regarding the stolen money. She was booked into the Morongo Basin Jail but has since been released.

Brannon’s court date is pending.