17
3
Via CBS News:
BALTIMORE – At the once busy Lil Kidz Kastle daycare in Owings Mills, the playground equipment sits empty and the doors are locked as police investigate multiple allegations that children were sexually abused.
The suspect who faces several felony charges is James Weems, Jr., a retired Baltimore City police officer and the husband of the daycare's owner, Shanteari Weems.
Police told WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren that James Weems worked as a bus driver at the facility for at least two years.
"It's horrible," said Kathy Scherr who works nearby. "You can't imagine what it's like as a parent to turn your child over to a stranger and you hope and you pray that they take care of them the best that they can."
"We learned of these allegations earlier this month, and that's when our investigation was launched," said Joy Lepola-Stewart, the Baltimore County police spokesperson. "We're not going to get into the specifics of the allegations at this point since it does remain an open investigation and additional charges may be filed in this matter."
Lepola-Stewart said there are allegations involving "at least three" children.
According to court documents, Shanteari Weems reported the abuse to police but kept getting calls from parents. That is when she confronted her husband at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Washington, D.C., last Thursday.