Biography
Marvin Cheatom Jr. was a 16-year-old Black Panther in Des Moines when he and his mother, welfare-rights organizer Joeanna Cheatom, were arrested during the December 27, 1968 raid on the Panther headquarters. He faced arson charges arising from the Jewett Lumber fire and was held on a $20,000 bond. His case was dismissed with those of his mother and Charles Knox on April 21, 1969 for insufficient evidence. His exact jail-release date and total time served remain unverified.
The April 19, 1969 Daily Iowan reports the ongoing Jewett Lumber arson trial, linking Knox and the Cheatoms to the October 9 fire. The fire date is not their jail-admission date. This interim trial report does not override the subsequently documented April 21 dismissal or establish an individual discharge day. Source: https://dailyiowan.lib.uiowa.edu/DI/1969/di1969-04-19.pdf#page=1
Jewett Lumber case
The prosecution arose from the October 1968 Jewett Lumber Company fire in Des Moines. Contemporary reporting also associated the investigation with a fire at an A&P grocery store. The Militant characterized the arrests as an attack on Black organizing; that political interpretation is attributed to the newspaper, rather than treated as a court finding.
The December 27 arrest and $20,000 bond were reported in The Militant. The Daily Iowan's January 7 issue also reported that Joeanna and Marvin were still in jail in lieu of bond. The trial with Charles Knox began April 18. On April 21 Judge James P. Denato dismissed the case for insufficient evidence, following the defense's challenge to uncorroborated accomplice testimony. A later police account described directed not-guilty rulings. The dismissal date is a court outcome, not a verified jail-release date.
Available records document this historical case. No verified current detention is recorded. Custody duration and unsupported personal details are left blank.
