DENVER -- A Denver man was arrested Saturday for allegedly putting a number of children at risk, Fort Collins police said.

Police said Steven McQuay dropped off 11 children, ages nine to 14, near downtown Fort Collins Saturday and then left. The children then reportedly walked door-to-door selling candles unsupervised for a business called Positive Teens, police said.

It was raining at the time and the temperature was about 59 degrees. Police said several of the children were wet when they found them and the kids said they had been driven from Denver earlier in the day.

Police said McQuay drove the children to Fort Collins in a van that was seated for only five people.

Police said McQuay would drop the children off in pairs in neighborhoods where they would solicit unsupervised and he would later come back and pick them up.

McQuay was arrested and charged with child abuse and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Shortly after he was arrested, police said McQuay told them that they had only found nine of the children and that there were two other children missing.

Police said they later found the two children in the neighborhood waiting on a curb wearing soaking clothing.

All 11 children were from Denver and they were released to their parents later in the night.