MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A woman has been arrested after a video shared online showed two children getting out of pet kennels inside the trunk of an SUV in Memphis, police said.
Leimome Cheeks, 62, was arrested and charged with two counts of child endangerment. According to the affidavit, the children told police there was no room in the backseat, so their grandmother told them to get inside the dog cages.
Cheeks admitted that she drove the children in the kennels from Whitehaven to Collierville, which is a 35-minute ride, on Saturday.
"I'm just so sad for the babies," neighbor Nikita Blake told WREG. "For them to be in the hot car like that in cages is sad."
With temperatures reaching the 95-degree mark, the children, who are 7 and 8 years old, told officers they were hot, since there were no vents in the back of the vehicle.
A woman has been arrested after a video shared online showed two children getting out of pet kennels inside the trunk of an SUV.
Neighbors are trying to piece together the thought behind Cheeks' actions.
"I'm still shocked, " neighbor Skylark Blake said. "I really can't see her doing that. She's such a nice lady."
Neighbors said Cheeks just bought two German shepherd puppies that she would put in the kennels in the back of her truck. They said she's a woman of faith and a very nice lady.
"I think she needs some help," one neighbor said. "Something is going on with her. If she did that, then that's out of character for her."
The video was captured by a concerned citizen who said he happened to be in the right place at the right time when he witnessed the unusual sight. He told WREG he hopes the video will motivate others to call authorities when they see wrong things happening.
Cheeks was scheduled to appear in court June 11.
