Mother who locked kids in basement arrested

Police have arrested a Kensington woman on child endangerment charges after she allegedly locked them in the basement overnight without food, running water, a bathroom or heat.

Charnae Lee, 29, of Atlantic Street near Jasper, was charged with  unlawful restraint, false imprisonment, endangering the welfare of a child and recklessly endangering another person. She was jailed on $50,000 bail pending a May 15 preliminary hearing, court records show.

Charnae's 13-year-old son called 9-1-1 about 1:30 p.m. Sunday to tell police his mother had ordered him, his 9-year-old brother and two sisters, ages 12 and 10, to drag their mattresses into the basement and stay there as punishment, police said. Firefighters and officers who responded to the call had to get into the home by climbing through a second-floor window, police said. The kids were taken to St. Christopher's Hospital for observation.

Investigators found Lee at work, and she admitted she sent her children to the basement with their mattresses as punishment but said she didn't know the door was locked.

Neighbors told the Daily News that Lee works at the Philadelphia International Airport and attends nursing school. Block captain Victoria Sipes said Lee is a single mother who typically takes good care of her children.