On July 27, a retired Baltimore police officer was arrested after he was shot by his wife. According to reports, 57-year-old James Weems was accused of sexually abusing some of the children his wife cared for at the daycare she owned and ran.
As WMAR reports, 50-year-old Shanteari Weems shot her husband while inside their Mandarin Oriental Hotel room. James was rushed to the hospital and continues to be treated.
Daycare Owner Shoots Her Husband After She Learns What He’s Accused Of
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Court documents reveal that James was accused of sexual abuse by the parents of three children. Shanteari cared for those three children as they attended her Lil’ Kidz Kastle Daycare Center which she ran from inside her home.
Shanteari confronted her husband about those claims while staying in the hotel. Shanteari claimed that she used the gun in self-defense after James came after her “in a menacing manner.”
After retiring from the police force in 2005, James has been the daycare’s acting bus operator for the last two years.
While searching the hotel room following the shooting, police discovered two firearms and a notebook that detailed Shanteari’s motivation to shoot James. Shanteari told police during questioning that she only hoped to injure her husband, not kill him.
Shanteari has been charged with a single count of assault with the intent to kill, while James faces multiple charges. Baltimore County detectives have revealed that their investigation into the claims against James began earlier in July.
Once James is released from the hospital he will be extradited to Baltimore County and arraigned.
On Friday, July 29, a judge denied Shanteari bail, deeming her a safety risk. Reports reveal that prosecutors argued Shanteari couldn’t be trusted in society because in her notebook she wrote, “on my way to shoot James.”
In an interview with Daily Mail, Shanteari’s lawyer Tony Garcia said, “It’s ironic that they think she is a safety risk when the only reason she’s in jail is because she was trying to protect the safety of children.”
Garcia further shared that Shanteari is pleased to hear her husband has been charged with child sex crimes, because “it proves she was right. She is remorseful but it’s a relief that law enforcement believes he molested children.”
“He was denying it, but now that it’s been confirmed. She was right. He was molesting them. And in fact, it’s worse than what she thought because there are three children involved, not two.”