Retired police officer sentenced to life in prison for sexually abusing children at wife’s daycare

James Stanley Weems Jr., a retired Baltimore police officer, was sentenced to life in prison on Monday, April 14 for sexually abusing children at his wife’s daycare.

A retired police officer in Baltimore who his wife shot for sexually abusing children at her daycare center has been sentenced to life in prison.

The Baltimore Banner reported that James Stanley Weems Jr., 59, of Towson, was sentenced in Baltimore County Circuit Court by Judge Michael J. Finifter on Monday, April 14.

In November 2024, Weems was found guilty of three counts of sexually abusing a minor, two counts of second-degree rape and one count of displaying obscene materials to a minor, stemming from a 2022 arrest.

The charges concern one child, who was 10 years old at the time of the abuse; however, it’s alleged there were other victims. Weems’ victims attended Lil Kidz Kastle, a daycare in Owings Mills owned by his former wife, Shanteari Young. The officer, who retired from the Baltimore police force in 2005, had been driving the van for the daycare for two years, according to People magazine.

While Weems denies many of the allegations, including ever touching anyone, he did admit to a porn addiction and watching pornography while driving the kids to and from the daycare center. He maintains that he never intentionally showed them obscene material.

The 10-year-old victim’s uncle testified that the family found pornography on her tablet, and when questioned about it, she said, “Mr. James” showed it to her. This questioning led them to discover more had been going on between the two.

According to WMAR, the girl said Weems was the only person who was nice to her and would give her snacks. Weems told her not to tell anyone about what happened.

While in court, Young testified that the girl was “delayed for her age and mostly kept to herself and her sister,” but recalled Weems allegedly referring to her as his “little buddy” and “my little helper.” The outlet reported that Weems only remembered the girl as a “nice little girl.”

“I wish Mr. James did not do those bad things to me. I wish I could stop thinking about them. I just want to be a regular kid again,” the girl wrote in a victim impact statement, per the Baltimore Banner.

The initial 2022 indictment accused Weems of abusing at least three children at the daycare, WJZ reported.  After the guilty verdict, prosecutors were waiting to learn Weems’ sentence before deciding whether or not to bring more charges.

The case gained national attention in 2022 because after learning about what he was accused of, Weems’ ex-wife, Young, drove from Baltimore County to Washington, D.C., to the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, where he was providing security for an event, and shot him, according to reports from NBC Washington.

According to the outlet, Young pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and carrying a firearm without a license and was sentenced to four years in prison and two years of supervised release after the incident.

While speaking to WUSA9 from jail, Young said she “snapped” that fateful evening in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. 

“I felt like the blood had just drained out of my body because … it was my husband,” Young said. “He was supposed to help me protect these children. He always told me he was my protector. So when I heard this, I just felt like – I just felt like my world had ended.”

Weems still faces over 20 additional counts stemming from the other alleged victims.