Trial begins for former Baltimore officer charged with molesting children at wife's daycare

BALTIMORE -- A jury has been seated in the trial of a former Baltimore City police officer accused of molesting children at his wife's daycare in Owings Mills.

The case gained national attention after she shot him during a confrontation about the abuse.

WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren spoke to attorneys for James Weems, Junior as they headed back into court during a break in proceedings Monday afternoon.

"We prefer to comment at the end of the case. Thank you very much, though," said Weems' lead defense attorney Thomas Pavlinic.

Weems remains free on home monitoring while on trial for sexually abusing children at his now ex-wife's Owings Mills' daycare 'Lil Kidz Kastle' where he served as a van driver.

The Allegations

Police charged Weems in July of 2022 after a child's parents said he showed her pornography on the bus and touched her inappropriately on the playground. 

Then, other victims came forward. 

On July 21, 2022, a 7-year-old boy who attended the daycare said in an interview with the Department of Social Services, which was investigating Weems' contact with other children, that he was touched inappropriately at the daycare. Investigators were able to narrow down the suspect to Weems.

On July 23, 2022, officers responded to a reported past sexual assault, the documents said. Parents reported their 12-year-old daughter told them "Mr. James" touched her in a "very inappropriate way." The girl told police in an interview "Mr. James" also asked her to take explicit pictures of herself, but that she said no, the charging documents stated.

Shot by Wife

His wife at the time, Shanteari, who owned the daycare, said she 'snapped' after a parent confided in her about the molestation. 

She then shot him while the two were staying at the former Mandarin Oriental hotel in Washington, D.C.

Shanteari was sentenced to four years in prison, and according to court records WJZ obtained, was later granted a divorce from her husband and changed her name to Shanteari Young.

Shanteari Speaks

She spoke to CBS station WUSA from behind bars in D.C. last year.

"The only person I had to find information from was my husband, and he said he didn't do it," she told the station. "And you believed him?" reporter Bruce Leshan asked. "I did believe him," she replied. 

"I was totally broken. I felt like the blood had just drained out of my body because again this was my husband. I trusted him fully. He was supposed to help me protect these children. He told me he was my protector, so when I heard this, I felt like my world had just ended," she said.

She is listed as a possible witness in her ex-husband's trial.

Many of her supporters believe she should not be behind bars while he remains free. 

"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," said Jolene Ivey, a Prince George's County Council member, and wife of Maryland Congressman Glenn Ivey, after the sentence was handed down. "When does this happen? It's really outrageous."

Shanteari also spoke to WJZ news partner The Baltimore Banner. You can read that interview here.

Strong Reaction from Potential Jurors

In the Baltimore County jury pool of 110 people, everyone stood up when the judge asked them, "Do you have strong feelings about the sexual abuse of a minor?"

All but one stood when he asked, "Do you have strong feelings about second-degree rape?" 

And almost half stood when asked if they would be more or less likely to believe a 12-year-old victim because of her age.

Many were aware of the case. 

Weems is a Marine veteran who retired from the Baltimore police force more than a decade ago.

The trial is expected to wrap up by Friday. 

We will get a better perspective of Weems' defense during opening statements later this week.