James Weems Jr. to stand trial for sexual abuse at Owings Mills daycare

This week, a man will go on trial on charges that he sexually assaulted a 10-year-old girl at his wife’s daycare in Baltimore Countyan allegation that subsequently became public his wife shot him twice and then barricaded herself in a hotel room.

James Weems Jr. will appear in Baltimore County Circuit Court on Monday for jury selection. He faces a total of 33 charges and reports of the victimization of four children at the Lil Kidz Kastle Daycare Center in Owings Mills dating from 2020.

Weems, 59, of Towson will only be tried on the first 10 pointsincluding sexual abuse of a minor, rape and perverted practices and relating to the girl.

Circuit Judge Michael J. Finifter will preside over the trial, which will last a week.

Baltimore County State’s Attorney Scott Shellenberger declined to comment ahead of the trial. Weems’ lead attorney, Thomas Pavlinic, said it was also his practice not to discuss pending cases.

The allegations came to light on July 3, 2022, after family members saw the girl watching pornography on her aunt’s tablet, Baltimore County police said.

When loved ones started asking questions, police allege, the girl told them she had learned from her daycare driver where to find the website: “Mr. James.” She reported that he showed her sexually explicit material on his cell phone.

Then a family member took the girl upstairs and started asking her more questions. Weems, she revealed, sexually assaulted her at daycare and in the van, police allege.

“You’re not in trouble, you didn’t do anything wrong, but Mr. James is because he’s not allowed to touch you and he’s not allowed to show you dirty movies,” the relative told the girl during that conversation. which was recorded. “You’re not allowed to know about that, you’re a child.”

Later, the girl told a forensic interviewer from the Baltimore County Child Advocacy Center that Weems was nice to her and gave her snacks.

She said that, police reported, she had received a touch in her “private area.”

The police continued the investigation.

On July 21, 2022, Weems’ wife, Shanteari, drove from Baltimore County to what used to be called the Mandarin Oriental in Washington, D.C., and shot him twice in his hotel room. He provided security at the National Urban League’s annual conference.

She has since divorced him.

Shanteari Weems pleaded guilty in DC Superior Court for aggravated assault and carrying a pistol without a permit and it was convicted up to four years in prison – plus two years of supervised release.

“I almost recovered,” she said told The Baltimore Banner in 2023 during an interview from a federal prison in Lexington, Kentucky. “I literally just snapped.”

Police filed charges against James Weems days after the shooting. Shanteari Weems is expected to testify against him at trial.

Her friend and business partner Nicole Knox said she is glad the trial is moving forward.

“These kids deserve justice,” Knox said. “And hopefully they finally get it.”

From 1983 to 1987, James Weems served in the United States Marine Corps. He joined the Baltimore Police Department in 1996 and medically retired in 2005. He stayed on as a contractor until 2008.

Assistant State’s Attorney Zarena Sita and Deputy State’s Attorney Lisa Dever are prosecuting the case.

If James Weems is convicted of rape, the Baltimore County District Attorney’s Office said it plans to seek a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison.