James Weems, the retired Baltimore police officer who was shot by his ex-wife after she found out he had been sexually abusing children at her daycare, was on Monday sentenced to life in prison for his actions.
Per CBS News, Weems was handed the punishment after he was found guilty of rape, sexual abuse of a minor, and showing obscene matter to a minor in November 2024.
Weems’ ex-wife, Shanteari Young, made national headlines after she shot the convicted man when she became aware of his alleged actions. She was handed a four-year prison sentence for opening fire on her ex-husband.
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The victims Weems was accused of sexually abusing were students at Young’s Owings Mills-based daycare, Lil Kidz Kastle, per court documents. Weems was said to be the daycare van’s driver.
The convicted man claimed that though he watched pornography when dropping off the children at school, he did not deliberately expose the sexually explicit content to the minors or establish physical contact with them.
But the uncle of a victim who took the stand during the trial testified that their family realized the then-10-year-old victim’s tablet had pornography on it. He also said the victim said the content was initially shown to her by “Mr. James.”
Authorities in the 2022 indictment stated that at least three students who attended his ex-wife’s daycare were abused by Weems, CBS News reported. During the trial, Weems’ ex-wife took the stand and testified against him.
Young told the court that she became overwhelmed and distressed on the day she got to know about her ex-husband’s alleged actions, adding that Weems, however, remained composed and was tight-lipped about asking questions.
“Ms. Weems did something that she felt was worth it to protect those children and she’s been held accountable,” her attorney, Tony Garcia, said. “Now, it’s his turn.”
Young and Weems are also facing a civil lawsuit filed against them by a parent of one of the victims.
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