MEMPHIS, TN (WMC) - A Memphis woman is behind bars after a video shows her letting children out of pet kennels.
In the video, a child is seen climbing out of the trunk of the vehicle from the kennel.
The video was taken on Elvis Presley Boulevard near Graceland.
Leimome Cheeks, 62, was charged with two counts of child endangerment.
Cheeks admitted to police that she drove from Whitehaven to Collierville--a 35-minute trip--with a 7 and 8 year in two dog kennels in the trunk. It was 95 degrees outside.
She told the children to get in the kennels because there wasn't any room left in the Ford Explorer, according to a police report.
The Explorer with two dog kennels still in the truck sat in the driveway on Mosby Road on Sunday. Cheek's longtime neighbors never saw this coming.
Neighbors Eugene and Melanie Richmond said she's a "super good neighbor. A real caring person."
"I sincerely hope that this would be a one-time incident but I doubt it," Dr. Angle Gooden, a psychologist with Youth Villages, said.
Gooden is worried about the lasting effects possible systematic abuse can have on these children.
"I think it could have a very significant impact on their self esteem and self confidence and thinking that it's OK to be treated as something other than human," Gooden said.
Youth Villages extended their hand, offering to help these children and Cheeks with counseling if needed
But first Cheeks has to go through the justice system. She is charged with child endangerment that carries a maximum sentence of 12 years in prison if convicted.
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