Outrage after daycare owner sentenced to prison for shooting husband over alleged abuse

BALTIMORE -- Supporters of Baltimore County daycare owner Shanteari Weems were stunned when a judge sentenced her to four years in federal prison Friday. 

Weems admitted to shooting her husband after learning he molested children in their care.

"Just to think about being in that situation—the level of rage—what would you do? What would anybody do? I cannot begin to imagine," Denita Wallace, Weems' childhood friend, said. "I'm not saying you should take the law in your own hands, but the person you trust most in this world has not only violated your trust, has destroyed your business and also violated children." 

Weems, a former correctional officer who lives in Randallstown, opened Little Kidz Kastle in Owings Mills in 2005.

Her husband, James Weems, is a former Baltimore City police officer.

She told the judge through tears she thought of him as her "protector" and never imagined he would abuse vulnerable children at her daycare. 

When she learned of the allegation last July, she drove to the Mandarin Oriental hotel in Washington, D.C. where he was staying while working on a private security detail. That's where she shot him twice. 

"I think she just reacted on emotion at that point," Shanteari Weems' longtime friend, Tarese Hadith, said. 

D.C. Superior Court Judge Michael O'Keefe sentenced Weems to double what prosecutors had requested as part of a guilty plea, calling her actions cruel and the deal too lenient. 

Jolene Ivey, a Prince George's County Council member and wife of Maryland Congressman Glenn Ivey, said she was so incensed that Shanteari Weems remained behind bars, she showed up at the courthouse to support her. 

"I really thought time served was more than enough, and I cannot believe this judge did not accept even the plea deal offered by the government," Ivey said. "When does this happen? It's really outrageous."

Baltimore-based lawyer Tony Garcia represents Shanteari Weems. 

"To get that kind of sentence is, frankly, to me insulting," Garcia told reporters outside the courthouse. "It simply doesn't make sense at all." 

Garcia said he will fight to change the sentence if he can but noted even if his client went to trial instead of pleading guilty, she would have had the same judge.

"You have a judge like that sentencing you, who knows what would have happened. I have no regret," he said. 

James Weems remains behind bars awaiting trial for molesting four children. That trial is scheduled to begin May 22nd.

Baltimore County police said he abused the young victims inside the daycare's van because he knew there were no cameras there. 

According to charging documents, James Weems made two of the alleged victims sit in the front seat of the daycare van with him. 

The documents also state he ordered two of the victims not to speak about what happened. 

The allegations came to light when family members saw their child watching pornography on her tablet. "When I asked, the victim stated that her bus driver at daycare 'Mr. James' showed her where to find the pornography. The victim went on to tell her family that 'Mr. James' showed her pornography on his cell phone while they were on the daycare bus," the charging documents state. 

There were 93 children who had contact with James Weems and were interviewed as part of the investigation. 

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