The mother of three children who perished in a residential fire earlier this week was charged with three counts of felony child endangerment, police said.
The mother of three children who perished in a residential fire earlier this week was charged with three counts of felony child endangerment, police said. Charlene Cheatem, of the 8300 block of South Buffalo Avenue, admittedly left her children –– Jamari Gates, 4, Sharell Gates, 3, Tyrel Gates, 2, and Jimmy Gates, 7 months –– home alone. Police said Cheatem, 24, took her eldest child, a 5-year-old, to school, and then went across the street from her home to see about an ailing relative. She returned to find the home engulfed in smoke and flames. Residents on the block saw the smoke, heard the screams and tried to save them all. Sharell, Tyrel and Jimmy were found dead in a bedroom on the second floor. Jamari was rescued and taken to University of Chicago Comer Children’s Hospital for smoke inhalation. “It was too late for the others. I heard them screaming, but I couldn’t get to them,” said Sharday Harper, a relative. Fire officials said the home had no working smoke detectors. The natural gas service to the home was shut off, and space heaters were used to provide warmth. It is unclear whether or not the heaters sparked the fire. The cause of the blaze remains under investigation. ______ Copyright 2009 Chicago Defender. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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