The mayor of Atlantic City, New Jersey, and his wife are facing charges after being accused of beating their teen daughter.
Authorities allege that Mayor Marty Small Sr., 50, and La’Quetta Small, 47, emotionally and physically abused their daughter on multiple occasions including one that left her unconscious after the mayor allegedly struck the teen’s head several times with a broom.
Prosecutors also allege that the mother punched the girl in her chest and hit her with a belt several times leaving marks and bruises, among other accusations.
Authorities built the case on video proof and conversations the 16-year-old had with counselors and peers.
Investigators also combed through medical reports and re-conducted interviews with the daughter, who spoke on the abuse, and her family members.
However, the Smalls have denied the allegations, and the girl remains in the couple’s home.
Marty Smalls’ attorney Edwin Jacobs Jr., reportedly said in a statement to The Washington Post that they are “completely innocent of any wrongdoing and will ultimately be vindicated.”
“These complaints focus exclusively on private family matters, basically attempting to second guess parental decisions of Mayor Small and his wife,” Jacobs Jr., reportedly said.
The high ranking couple was charged with second-degree endangering the welfare of a child. Separately, Marty Small is facing third-degree terroristic threats, simple assault, and third-degree aggravated assault. La’Quetta Small, on the other hand, was hit with three separate counts of disorderly persons simple assault.
It is also alleged that on another occasion, Marty Small “threatened to hurt her by ‘earth slamming’ her down the stairs, grabbing her head and throwing her to the ground and smacking the weave out of her head,” officials said.
Both Marty Small and La’Quetta Small are accused of punching her repeatedly in different areas of her body, including her legs, chest, and mouth. The mother also yanked the teen by her hair, according to a the probable cause affidavit.
After one incident, the young woman was hospitalized for a head injury but later told her school nurse that she hit her head on a window. A story her father also corroborate, per the affidavit.
According to video transcripts included in the affidavit, the girl was on a video chat with her boyfriend on Jan. 3 when her father threatened to “smack that weave” out of her head.
The footage was captured on her iPad. It also shows him threatening to “slam her down the steps,” after she asks her father to stop pushing her, the Post reports.
“Can you please move so I can go to school? Stop pushing me! You keep pushing me. Stop!” his daughter says, according to the affidavit.
During the argument the mayor says, “Nothing is going to happen to me!” The Inquirer reports. “I am going to hurt you. OK.” He adds after pushing his daughter who then warns that she would be questioned at school about her bruises.
“OK, tell them. I don’t care. What they gonna do to me?” he replies.
Earlier this month, before the announcement of the charges, Mayor Small informed the media that prosecutors were investigating him and conducted a raid at his home a few days before, on March 28, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
His attorney, Jacobs, also poured cold water on an “egregious rumor” that his client beat his daughter while she was pregnant, per the outlet. The rumor also claimed that she was carrying twins and he would be “charged with “double murder.”
La’Quetta Small notably serves as the superintendent of Atlantic City Public Schools. Constance Days-Chapman — the principal who works at one of the schools in the district and previously worked on Small’s campaign in 2021 — was recently taken into custody for not reporting child abuse allegations made by a student, according to reports.
Officials haven’t confirmed whether the student was Marty and La’Quetta Small’s daughter. Still, the girl reportedly told authorities that she had mentioned that she had already spoken to Principal Days-Chapman.
According to a criminal complaint obtained by NBC Philadelphia, the teen brought the shocking allegations to the forefront following a mental health training session at her Atlantic City High School in late January. She circled a “neutral” smiley face and wrote “abuse” on the assessment and requested a counselor.
The teen reiterated her claims to her therapist, who later spoke with La’Quetta Small. The mother told the therapist the teen girl was experiencing issues with “a young man they don’t approve of, and it had caused some tensions in the home,” according to affidavit.
Reports show two employees informed Days-Chapman about the allegations. She said it was her first time hearing about it, and she would report it to the Department of Child Protection and Permanency (DCP&P), but never did, according to reports.
An independent therapist ultimately told the state about the allegations.
Once the Department of Children and Families was told about the abuse, the agency noted that they were never notified about the issue, per NBC Philadelphia. When a DCP&P employee spoke to the girl in front of her parents, she denied the allegations or ever reporting it to anyone besides her therapist. She did the same when talking to investigators.
Officials then spoke with her boyfriend, who explained that his relationship with her parents went downhill when they found out specific details about their relationship in December. He added that the teen also told him about abuse and showed them receipts of her physical injuries. His mother corroborated his claims.
The boy provided investigators with photos that revealed the girl had scratches, bruises, swelling and hair loss. He also recalled her clothing being ripped by her parents.
Investigators searched the Smalls’ home on March 28 and charged the couple on April 15.
Small held a news conference at City Hall following the search and reiterated that it’s a family matter.
“We’re going through family therapy, and that’s what this should be, a family matter,” he said. His wife, daughter and son attended the conference.
“The charges filed today by the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office make no allegations of public corruption or misconduct in office, or of failure by Mayor Small to properly discharge his duties,” Jacobs said the day of filing.
Marty Small remains in the position as mayor of city. No reports currently point to his wife’s job being in jeopardy.
