NEED TO KNOW

• Former Baltimore County daycare owner Shanteari Young completed her sentence in December 2025 after shooting her then-husband over child sexual abuse allegations
• Her ex-husband James Weems Jr., a retired Baltimore police officer, was convicted and sentenced to life in prison for abusing a 10-year-old girl at her daycare
• Young now faces three civil lawsuits while pushing for a Maryland bill requiring child care providers to complete abuse-identification training

OWINGS MILLS, MD (TDR) — When Shanteari Young opened Lil Kidz Kastle Daycare Center in 2005, she believed she was building something that could keep children out of the criminal justice system. Her husband, retired Baltimore police officer James Weems Jr., drove the van and picked up students from local elementary schools. She thought his law enforcement background gave her facility a level of security other daycares lacked.

That belief shattered in July 2022, when a parent told Young that Weems had been sexually abusing children at the daycare. The allegations first surfaced after family members of a 10-year-old girl caught her watching pornography on an iPad. When they asked who showed it to her, she said “Mr. James”.

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Three days later, Young drove to the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Washington, D.C., where Weems was working a private security detail. She confronted him — and shot him twice, striking him in the neck and leg, shattering his femur. He survived.

Three and a half years later, both their lives look radically different. Weems is serving a life sentence. Young finished her own prison term and is trying to turn personal catastrophe into systemic reform. The question that lingers is whether the justice system handled either case appropriately — and whether the policy gaps that allowed the abuse remain open.

How The Sentencing Sparked National Outrage

Young pleaded guilty in November 2022 to aggravated assault and carrying a pistol without a license. Prosecutors recommended two years in prison. Her defense attorney, Tony Garcia, asked for time served.

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D.C. Superior Court Judge Michael O’Keefe rejected both recommendations and handed down four years — double the plea deal prosecutors had negotiated.

“We live in a society of law, and not of men. And we can’t act upon our emotions. We have to let the court system, the justice system, do its job.” — Judge Michael O’Keefe

O’Keefe pointed to evidence the shooting was premeditated, not spontaneous. Prosecutors showed text messages Young sent to friends before the confrontation and noted she had learned of the allegations three days before driving to the hotel. The judge also noted Young had admitted she hoped to paralyze her husband.

“We can’t say, ‘Oh yeah, he’s a child molester so you deserve what you got.’ There has to be serious consequences.” — Judge Michael O’Keefe

Supporters were stunned. The hashtag #FreeShanteari trended nationally. Garcia called the sentence insulting, saying he had never seen a judge reject a negotiated plea deal that dramatically.

“This woman, day in and day out, helps people, helps children, helps the poor, helps the abused, and to get that kind of sentence is — frankly, to me, it’s insulting.” — Tony Garcia

What Happened To Weems

While Young served her time at FMC Lexington in Kentucky, the criminal case against Weems moved forward. In October 2024, a Baltimore County jury convicted him on all six counts related to the abuse of the 10-year-old girl — including two counts of second-degree rape, three counts of sexual abuse of a minor and one count of displaying obscene material to a minor.

Young herself testified against him, traveling from prison to a Baltimore County courtroom for the trial. She was not permitted to tell jurors she had shot him.

In April 2025, Baltimore County Circuit Judge Michael Finifter sentenced Weems to life in prison.

“He created a lot of the trust he then broke.” — Judge Michael Finifter

Finifter said Weems used his skills as a retired officer to commit what the judge described as an expert level of grooming. The FBI analyzed data from Weems’ phone revealing he searched for pornography when he was near elementary schools. Weems admitted watching pornographic material while driving children in the daycare van but maintained he never intentionally showed it to any child.

Prosecutors said they were weighing additional charges related to at least three other children initially named in the 2022 indictment.

The Unresolved Civil Fallout

Young’s legal troubles did not end with her release. She remains a defendant in three pending civil lawsuits connected to Lil Kidz Kastle, which has since closed.

Attorney Josh Kahn, representing the mother of the primary victim, has alleged Young knew her ex-husband was addicted to pornography and still allowed him unsupervised access to children.

“We don’t think she has clean hands, frankly. We think she is responsible.” — Josh Kahn

Attorney Jonathan Schochor, representing the family in a separate lawsuit, described the long-term impact on victims as devastating.

“These are lifelong injuries. Research has indicated it takes decades for some of these folks — these sexual abuse survivors when they are minors — to even be able to come forward.” — Jonathan Schochor

Young has said she believes the children deserve compensation but feels she is being unfairly cast as the villain in the civil complaints. The daycare’s insurance company, Philadelphia Indemnity Insurance Co., has argued total coverage is limited to $100,000.

From Prison To Policy Advocacy

Young’s ankle monitor was removed on Dec. 17, 2025, officially ending her supervised release. She is now working at a residential recovery house and channeling her experience into legislative advocacy.

She supports a Maryland bill introduced by Baltimore Democrat Sean Stinnett that would require child care providers to complete specialized training on identifying and reporting sexual abuse. Currently, Maryland has no separate training focused specifically on sexual abuse for daycare workers, though the topic is covered in other mandatory trainings, according to the Maryland State Department of Education.

Young is also preparing to launch a nonprofit called Opened Umbrellas 4 Lil Kidz LLC and finishing a book about her experience titled “My Protector,” which she expects to release this spring.

“I want to show people that something catastrophic can happen to you, but you can rebuild and you can move on.” — Shanteari Young

Young has repeatedly said she does not regret confronting Weems, but she has also cautioned others against following her path.

“Sexual abuse is not OK with children. A lot of times in the past, it has been covered up, and it’s good that it’s getting some type of notoriety to it so that we can stop it.” — Shanteari Young

Child protection experts have long argued that daycare abuse prevention requires systemic solutions — not individual acts of retribution. Research from Darkness to Light, a national child abuse prevention organization, shows that targeted training for child care professionals measurably increases reporting rates and early intervention. The Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault recommends policies including two-adult supervision rules and eliminating one-on-one access between staff and children.

The gap between what Young did and what advocates say the system should do sits at the center of this story. A retired police officer used institutional trust to abuse vulnerable children. A daycare owner took violent action when she felt the system could not protect them. A judge said the law does not permit emotional justice. And the children at the center of it all are still navigating the consequences.

When systems designed to protect children fail, does the impulse toward vigilante justice reveal a deeper institutional breakdown — and can the people caught in that gap become credible voices for reform?

Sources

This report was compiled using information from The Baltimore Banner, CBS News Baltimore, WUSA9, WTOP, Fox Baltimore, The Baltimore Sun, Unheard Voices Magazine, Darkness to Light, and the Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault.

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