A Memphis woman was charged and arrested with two counts of child endangerment on Saturday after video showed her transporting two children inside pet kennels, Memphis Police said.
Leimome Cheeks, 62, was taken into custody after a passerby filmed the moment her two grandchildren crawled from the cramped cages in the trunk of her car, local station WREG reported. Police said Cheeks admitted to driving the kids 35 minutes from Whitehaven to Collierville as they sat in the kennels.
Temperatures climbed well into the 90’s in Memphis on Saturday and the children, aged 7 and 8, said the kennels grew quite hot. According to an affidavit, they said their grandma told them to sit in the cages because there wasn’t enough room in the backseat.
Neighbors were shocked at news of the incident and said that Cheeks had just bought two German Shepherd puppies, which is why the kennels were in her car.
“I’m just so sad for the babies,” neighbor Nikita Blake told the station. “For them to be in the hot car like that in cages is sad.”
“I’m still shocked,” neighbor Skylarr Blake also said, describing Cheeks as “such a nice lady.”
“I really can’t see her doing that,” she added.
The man who filmed the incident told WREG he’s happy he was in the right place at the right time.
Cheeks is scheduled to appear in court Monday, June 11.
