The Atlantic City mayor and his wife, the city’s education superintendent, have been charged with “physically and emotionally abusing” their teenage daughter, the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office announced Monday.
Mayor Marty Small Sr. and Atlantic City Public Schools Superintendent La’Quetta Small have both been charged with endangering the welfare of a child.
Mayor Small was also charged with third-degree terroristic threats, third-degree aggravated assault, and disorderly individuals simple assault.
Superintendent Small was also charged with three charges of disorderly persons simple assault.
Prosecutors said the charges derive from incidents in December 2023 and January 2024.
- According to authorities, Mayor Small allegedly whacked his daughter in the head many times with a broom, knocking her unconscious.
- In another alleged incident, Mayor Small threatened to harm the adolescent during an altercation. The claimed threats involved “earth slamming” the girl down the stairs, grabbing her head and flinging her to the ground, and “smacking the weave out of her head.”
- Then, in yet another alleged incident, Mayor Small is accused of repeatedly hitting his daughter in the legs, leaving her bruised. Superintendent Small is accused of repeatedly hitting her kid in the chest, resulting in bruising.
- In another alleged incident, she is accused of dragging her daughter by her hair before beating her with a belt on her shoulder, causing marks.
- On another occasion, La’Quetta Small is accused of hitting her kid in the mouth during an altercation.
Both Smalls received summonses with the charges against them.
When asked for a response, Mayor Small told Action News that he wanted to but couldn’t, and referred us to his attorney, Ed Jacobs.
Jacobs highlighted that the allegations are about family concerns, adding, “The charges filed today by the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office make no claims of public corruption or Mayor Small’s failure to discharge his duties as mayor.”
We have been unable to contact anyone from the school district for comment on the claims or Superintendent Small’s status.
The announcement of these accusations comes exactly two weeks after Mayor Small was joined by his family at a news conference to discuss a search warrant served at his house a few days earlier.
Mayor Small held a news conference in City Hall earlier this month to explain that a search of his residence in late March was “a private family issue,” not a crime.
Mayor Small stated at the news conference that he and his wife have been in contact with state child welfare authorities and have nothing to hide.
“We’re going through family therapy, and that’s what this should be, a family matter,” he went on to say.
To safeguard the privacy of people affected, a spokeswoman for the state Division of Child Protection and Permanency stated that the agency cannot discuss its cases in public.
Small’s wife and two children attended the news conference but did not speak and departed before it ended.
Constance Days-Chapman, the principal of Atlantic City High School, was arrested on the same day the search warrant was executed at Small’s home.
According to the Atlantic County Prosecutor, when a student reported charges of child abuse, Days-Chapman failed to submit them to the appropriate authorities.
During a news conference earlier this month, Small stated that Days-Chapman, whom his family refers to as “Mandy,” is a close friend.
“Mandy, you have our support. “You did absolutely nothing wrong,” he explained.
Days-Chapman chaired Atlantic City’s Democratic Committee and oversaw Mayor Small’s 2021 reelection campaign.