Erin Macke left two 12-year-olds and a 6- and 7-year-old alone in the apartments while she took a vacation to Germany. (Source: Johnston Police/KCCI/CNN) 
 
 JOHNSTON, IA (KCCI/CNN) - It's like a real-life version of the movie "Home Alone," except in this case, the children were purposely left behind. 
 
 Thankfully, police were called before anything bad happened to the kids. 
 
 Erin Macke left two 12-year-olds and a 6- and 7-year-old alone in the apartments while she took a vacation to Germany. Macke planned on leaving her kids alone for 10 days. 
 
 "All of her sitter options fell through, and she left the kids in the care of the two 12-year-olds," said Lt. Tyler Tompkins, Johnston Police Department. "Luckily we were able to get there the next day, so the chance of something happening dropped significantly." 
 
 Receiving a tip from the father of one of the children, police checked in on the children and called the Department of Human Services, who then placed the children with other family members. 
 
 "They were concerned. They didn't know. They were confused. I mean, we're only talking about 12-year-olds being the adults here," Tompkins said. "We called her. She answered the phone, had a conversation with our officer, did not see it being a problem," 
 
 Officers told Macke her children were turned over to DHA and convinced her to come home early, which she did - six days later. 
 
 Police said they have never experienced something like this before. 
 
 "We have situations where parents go next door, or parents may go out for the night, and while that's not advisable either depending on the age of the children, obviously leaving the country is a totally different situation," Tompkins said. 
 
 Macke faces a single charge of transfer of pistol or revolver to a person younger than 21. Police said that's because there was a weapon within the children's reach. 
 
 Copyright 2017 KCCI via CNN. All rights reserved. ||||| A Johnston woman faces multiple charges after police said she left her four children home alone while taking a trip to Europe. 
 
 Erin Lee Macke, 30, is charged with four counts of child endangerment – substantial risk, and one count of transfer of pistol or revolver to a person under 21. 
 
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 Macke appeared in court Friday. She is being held in the Polk County Jail in lieu of a $9,000 bond. 
 
 She has a no-contact order, meaning she is not allowed to see her children. 
 
 Her next court date is scheduled for October 9 in Polk County. 
 
 Johnston police Lt. Tyler Tompkins told KCCI that Macke left her children ages 12, 12, 7 and 6 alone at home Sept. 20 while she traveled to Germany. 
 
 Tompkins said the children were left alone for 24 hours before the police department and Iowa Department of Human Services received a tip and visited the children. 
 
 The children told police, “Mom left them and left the country,” police said. 
 
 Tompkins told KCCI that police contacted Macke Sept. 21 and that Macke told officers she planned to be in Germany until Oct. 1. 
 
 “I’ve never heard of anything like this before,” Tompkins said. “We have situations where parents go next door or parents may go out for the night, and while that’s not advisable either depending on the age of the children, obviously leaving the country is a totally different situation. This, where a parent has left the country and left the kids home alone, I’ve never heard of it before.” 
 
 Authorities said they convinced Macke to return to the United States before Oct. 1. She arrived Wednesday evening and was arrested Thursday morning. 
 
 Police said the 12-year-old children are staying with family and the seven- and six-year-old children are with their father. 
 
 Macke is charged with one count of transfer of pistol or revolver to a person under 21 because there was a firearm within reach of the children in the home, according to police. 
 
 AlertMe ||||| CLOSE Erin Lee Macke, 30, was charged with four counts of child endangerment and one count of making a firearm available to a person under the age of 21, according to Johnston police. The Des Moine Register/Wochit 
 
 Erin Lee Macke, 30, was charged with four counts of child endangerment and one count of making a firearm available to a person under the age of 21. (Photo: Special to the Register) 
 
 A Johnston mom was arrested on Thursday after she left her four kids home alone to go on a trip to Germany. 
 
 Erin Lee Macke, 30, was charged with four counts of child endangerment and one count of making a firearm available to a person under the age of 21, according to Johnston police. 
 
 More: How young is too young to leave children home alone? 
 
 On Sept. 21, Johnston police were called to Macke's home after receiving a report that young children were left unsupervised in the house. 
 
 When officers arrived, they found Macke's children. Two of the kids are 12, while the others are 6 and 7. 
 
 Upon further investigation, police learned Macke left the country on Sept. 20 and was not scheduled to return until Oct. 1. She made no arrangements to provide supervision of the children while she was away, according to police. 
 
 The Iowa Department of Human Services took custody of the kids. Police called Macke while she was in Germany and demanded she return home. 
 
 Once she returned, she was arrested. She is currently booked in Polk County Jail with no bond. The children are staying with family members. 
 
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– An Iowa woman departed on a European vacation on Sept. 20 but allegedly left some rather important articles behind: her four kids. Erin Macke, 30, is accused of child endangerment after she allegedly left her kids home alone while she traveled to Germany. After receiving a call from the father of one of the kids, Johnston police say they visited Macke's home on Sept. 21 and found four children—ages 6, 7, 12, and 12—alone. According to police, the kids said their mom had "left the country" and wasn't to return until Oct. 1. Police called Macke, who explained "all of her sitter options fell through, and she left the kids in the care of the two 12-year-olds," officer Tyler Tompskins tells KCCI. She "did not see it being a problem." Tompskins says he knows of cases where parents left their kids alone for a few hours, or even a night. But "this, where a parent has left the country and left the kids home alone, I've never heard of it before," he tells KCCI. Police told Macke to return early, and she made it back to the US on Wednesday. On Thursday, she was arrested and charged with four counts of child endangerment and one count of making a firearm available to a person under the age of 21, reports the Des Moines Register. (The latter is because police say a handgun was left within reach of the kids.) Macke is being held in Polk County Jail and is not allowed to see her children, who are staying with family members. She appeared in court Friday and will return for a date on Oct. 9.