Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small, wife indicted on endangering the welfare of a child charges
Atlantic City mayor, wife indicted on endangering the welfare of a child charges
Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small and his wife, Atlantic City School District Superintendent La’Quetta Small, were indicted on charges alleging the couple physically and emotionally abused their teenage daughter several times last year.
PHILADELPHIA - Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small and his wife, Atlantic City School District Superintendent La’Quetta Small, were indicted Wednesday on charges alleging the couple physically and emotionally abused their teenage daughter several times last year.
Marty and La'Quetta were both charged in April with second-degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child after prosecutors said the couple abused their 15-year-old daughter between December 2023 and January 2024. Marty Small, who has been Atlantic City's mayor since 2020, was also charged with terroristic threats and aggravated assault.
"I want to make it clear this has nothing to do with my job as mayor of the great City of Atlantic City," said Mayor Small who answered reporter questions before the Atlantic City Council meeting Wednesday evening.
Prosecutors highlighted one instance where Mayor Small, 50, allegedly hit his daughter several times in the head with a broom, causing her to lose consciousness. That same month, Small allegedly threatened to "earth slam" his teenage daughter down a flight of stairs and threw her to the ground by her head.
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Atlantic City High School principal accused of failing to report abuse indicted
Constance Days-Chapman, charged in March after prosecutors say twice failed to report that a student said she was being abused by her parents, was indicted Wednesday. The charges closely followed accusations of child abuse against Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small and his wife, Atlantic City Superintendent, La'Quetta Small.
Small is accused of smacking the weave out of his daughter's head, and punching her several times in the legs. His wife, La'Quetta, also punched their daughter in the chest and mouth during two different incidents, and dragged her by her hair and struck her in the shoulder with a belt in another.
"This is a personal family matter just as you have had personal family matters that never got out. But, because I am who I am, and my wife is who she is, it got out," said Mayor Small.
Earlier this month, the principal of Atlantic City High School, Constance Days-Chapman, was also indicted after she was accused of failing to tell authorities that a student had twice reported being abused by her parents.
Marty and La'Quetta, meanwhile, have maintained their innocence despite the allegations levied against them. Their lawyer, Ed Jacobs, said the Smalls are "completely innocent of any wrongdoing and will ultimately be vindicated."
When asked if he could effectively run the city, the mayor responded, "What’s the difference between the indictment and being charged. I was charged back in April, have I skipped a beat?" the mayor questioned.
Small says he has done nothing but positive things for the city since being charged pointing to recent housing and economic development projects. "My family has completed full services counseling therapy and more and I am going to keep what we are dealing with as a family just as this should have been kept - as a family."