A former Baltimore police officer is set to trade in his badge and gun for an orange jumpsuit. A jury determined he used his job as a daycare van driver to do some really disturbing, nasty stuff toward the children. Brace yourself for the details.
James Weems Jr. used to work as a van driver for his ex-wife’s daycare, Lil Kidz Kastle, located in Owing Mills back in 2022, per court records. However, prosecutors say Weems had a pornography problem, so much so that they claimed he would wait to pick up the children by watching videos of older men having sex with younger looking girls, per CBS report.
Authorities claim Weems continued watching even while taking the kids to school. In one instance, a 10-year-old went home with pornography on her tablet, telling her family “Mr. James” showed it to her, according to court testimony. In addition to this, he was accused of making slow advances toward the girl such as giving her special treatment and snacks.
Following this incident, he was also suspected of sexually abusing two other children. Weems was arrested in July of 2022.
Meanwhile, his ex-wife, Shanteari Young, was also arrested at that time for shooting him in a Washington, D.C. hotel after confronting him about the allegations.
In November of 2024, Weems went to trial, admitting to watching porn around the children but denying the allegation of showing it to them or abusing them. Nevertheless, he was convicted of rape, sexual abuse of a minor and showing obscene matter to a minor, per WBAL-TV. Monday, April 14, the court sentenced the ex-cop to life in prison.
His wife is serving a four-year prison sentence after being convicted for shooting him. She’s expected to be released by December 2026, per the CBS report.