Atlantic City Mayor and School Superintendent Indicted on Child Abuse Charges
Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small Jr. and his spouse, school superintendent La’Quetta Small, are facing charges for alleged abuse of their daughter.
This article was updated to include additional details.
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — The city’s mayor and his wife, who is also the school superintendent, have been indicted on accusations of mistreating their teenage daughter, according to a statement from prosecutors issued on Wednesday.
Mayor Marty Small Sr., age 50, and La’Quetta Small, age 47, stand accused of both physical and emotional abuse towards their daughter from December 2023 to January 2024, as reported by the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office. They are alleged to have struck their daughter, who was between 15 and 16 years old, on several instances.
On Tuesday, a grand jury indicted both parents for second-degree endangering the welfare of a child. Additionally, Marty Small faces separate charges of third-degree terroristic threats and third-degree aggravated assault.
The prosecutor detailed multiple incidents, including an occurrence on January 13 when Marty Small allegedly struck his daughter multiple times on the head with a broom, causing her to lose consciousness. Another allegation from January 3 states that the mayor threatened his daughter by saying he would “earth slam” her and “smack the weave out of her head.”
Moreover, the prosecutor claimed that Marty Small punched his daughter in her legs multiple times, leaving bruises. La’Quetta Small is accused of dragging her daughter by her hair, hitting her with a belt, and punching her during various arguments.
During a news conference in April, the parents denied all allegations, which took place after police conducted a search of their home on March 28.
Attorney Defends Atlantic City Officials
The Smalls’ attorney, Edwin Jacobs Jr. of Atlantic City, stated on Wednesday that the couple “is absolutely innocent of any type of misconduct and will ultimately be completely exonerated.”
Jacobs emphasized, “This is entirely separate from his role as mayor,” adding that it relates to “the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office interfering in the private matters of the Small family.”
Another Indictment Related to the Case
The indictment of the Smalls followed shortly after another indictment against Constance Days-Chapman, the principal of Atlantic City High School. She is accused of failing to report the allegations of abuse to relevant authorities, which she was legally obliged to do.
The daughter, a high school student, informed Days-Chapman about the alleged abuse in December 2023, according to the prosecutor’s office. On January 22, 2024, a school employee also relayed the abuse claims to Days-Chapman, as stated in the indictment.
The indictment alleges that Days-Chapman did not notify the state child-protection agency or law enforcement as required. Instead, she purportedly had a private meeting with the parents in a car outside their home on the evening of January 22.
Authorities became aware of the alleged abuse two days later when a “non-school entity” called a hotline, according to the prosecutor’s office. The girl was 15 when she first reported the abuse and turned 16 at the time of her second report.
Days-Chapman, a resident of Atlantic City who managed Small’s mayoral campaign, faces charges of official misconduct, a pattern of official misconduct, hindering apprehension, and endangering a child’s welfare.
These charges are still only allegations at this stage.
Marty Small continues his duties as mayor, and the school district’s website lists La’Quetta Small as superintendent and Days-Chapman as principal of Atlantic City High.
A representative from the school district did not respond immediately to a comment request from the Courier-Post, part of the YSL News Network.
Contributions from: Thao Nguyen, YSL News
Jim Walsh is a senior reporter with the Courier-Post, Burlington County Times, and The Daily Journal. Email: Jwalsh@cpsj.com.