James S. Weems Jr., 57, was arrested in the hospital on multiple charges Monday, accused of sexually abusing at least three children at a day care center in Owings Mills, Maryland.
By Marlene Lenthang
A former Baltimore police officer shot by his wife, who accused him of sexually abusing children at her day care center, was arrested Monday in the hospital on child sex abuse charges, police say.
Shanteari Weems, 50, of Randallstown, shot her husband, James S. Weems Jr., 57, on Thursday at the Mandarin Oriental hotel in the 1300 block of Maryland Avenue in Washington D.C., according to a police news release.
Caution tape at the scene of a shooting at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Washington on July 22.WRC
Detectives with the Metropolitan Police Department arrived to the scene after 7:30 p.m. on a report of a shooting and found James Weems in a hotel room suffering apparent gunshot wounds, the release stated.
He was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries.
At the scene, police found two guns in the room and letters Shanteari Weems wrote apologizing to the children, saying she didn’t know what was going on at the day care, NBC Washington reported.
Shanteari Weems was arrested by responding officers and charged with assault with intent to kill with a gun. A preliminary hearing is set for her Friday.
NBC News has reached out to her attorney for comment.
Days after the shooting, an arrest warrant was issued for James Weems on accusations of child sex abuse Monday.
The warrant came after “allegations surfaced that Weems sexually abused at least three children while working at a day care facility in Owings Mills,” the Baltimore County Police Department announced Tuesday.
According to records, Shanteari Weems owns Lil Kidz Kastle Daycare Center, which is in the Baltimore suburb of Owings Mills.
Detectives with Baltimore County began to investigate James Weems this month after they were notified of the abuse, and he now faces multiple charges, Baltimore County police said.
Baltimore County Police said he remains hospitalized in police custody in Washington pending extradition. It was not immediately known if he has legal representation.
Baltimore police did not immediately respond to an NBC News request for details on the charges.
Weems was hired by the Baltimore City Police Department in June 1996. He retired in 2005 and continued to work for the department as a contract specialist until 2008, the department said. Shanteari Weems told police she and James Weems were married for five years, according to NBC Washington.
The investigation into James Weems is underway by Baltimore County detectives, Metropolitan Police Department, the Baltimore County State’s Attorney’s Office, the Maryland State Department of Education and the Maryland Department of Human Services, Child Protective Services.
Police are asking for families who may have been affected to contact Baltimore County detectives.
