Trial for man accused of sex abuse at wife's Baltimore County daycare to begin Monday

BALTIMORE -- The trial of a man accused of sexually abusing children at his wife's daycare in Owings Mills is set to begin Monday morning in Baltimore County Circuit Court.

James Weems Jr., 57, a former Baltimore City police officer, is currently under Level 3 home detention and prohibited from contact with children, victims, or witnesses.

In 2022, a Baltimore County grand jury indicted Weems on 21 charges linked to abuse allegations involving at least three children at his wife's daycare, Lil Kidz Kastle, where he worked as a bus driver.

His wife, Shanteeri Weems, was sentenced to four years in prison after she shot him in a Washington, D.C., hotel room upon learning of the accusations.

"It's horrible," said Kathy Scherr, who works nearby. "You can't imagine what it's like to turn your child over to a stranger, and you hope and pray they take care of them as best they can."

The trial is set to begin at 9 a.m. Monday.