Mom Faces Charges After 4 Kids Locked In Basement 13½ Hours

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A Philadelphia mother is facing charges after authorities allege that she locked her four children in the basement for more than 13½ hours without food or a bathroom as punishment.

Twenty-nine-year-old Charnae Lee was charged Monday with unlawful restraint, false imprisonment, endangering the welfare of a child and recklessly endangering another person. Firefighters broke through a second-floor window of the home in the city's Kensington section on Sunday after one child used a cellphone to dial 911. The 13-year-old boy, 12-year-old girl, 10-year-old girl and 9-year-old boy were taken to a hospital for observation.

Police said Lee acknowledged telling the children to stay in the basement but said she didn't know the door was locked. Court documents don't list a defense attorney who could offer comment on the charges.

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