A Tennessee grandmother is accused of transporting her grandchildren, ages 7 and 8, in dog kennels in her vehicle.
Leimome Cheeks, 62, was seen in a viral video over the weekend, letting two young children out of cages in the back of an SUV. It followed a 35-minute drive through the Memphis area, according to CBS affiliate WREG.
Cheeks was arrested and charged with two counts of child endangerment and is scheduled to appear Monday in court.
“I’m just so sad for the babies. For them to be in the hot car like that in cages is sad,” neighbor Nikita Blake told WREG.
Authorities responded to a call about a woman transporting children in dog kennels and, while investigating at a house in Whitehaven, Cheeks drove up to the home, according to an affidavit of complaint. Officers saw that the children were no longer inside the kennels but were seated in the back seat.
Cheeks told police that she had indeed driven from the home in Whitehaven to Collierville with her grandchildren in the kennels, but had checked on them during the drive, according to court records. It was not immediately clear whether Cheeks has an attorney.
The children told police that there was no room in the vehicle so their grandmother instructed them to get in the kennels.
The children said it was hot inside the kennels.
Police noted that it was 95 degrees that day in Memphis and that there were no air vents in the back of the Ford Explorer.
“I’m still shocked. I really can’t see her doing that. She’s such a nice lady. Wow,” Skylarr Blake, a neighbor, told WREG.