Monday, February 17, 2025

Atlantic City Mayor and Wife Plead Not Guilty to Assaulting Their Daughter

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Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small Sr. and his wife, La’Quetta Small, the superintendent of schools in the seaside gambling resort, pleaded not guilty on Thursday to allegations of beating and abusing their teenage daughter. Their attorney argued that “parenting struggles are not criminal events.”

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Both Small and his wife were indicted last month on charges of child endangerment and other offenses. Prosecutors allege that the couple physically and emotionally abused their daughter, who was between 15 and 16 years old, during incidents in December and January, with one event reportedly resulting in her temporary unconsciousness.

Marty Small, 50, faces additional charges of assault and making terroristic threats, while both parents are charged with child endangerment. The couple has denied the allegations, with Small asserting that the matter is a private family issue and does not involve criminal conduct.

The mayor and his wife did not make any statements in court or afterward. However, their attorney, Ed Jacobs, issued a statement claiming the couple are “entirely innocent” and suggesting that they are being targeted by prosecutors due to their high-profile public positions.

“The prominence of Marty and La’Quetta provides an opportunity for a sensational investigation, even if it intrudes into personal family matters such as the challenges of raising a teenage child,” the statement read. “We believe that fair-minded jurors will quickly recognize that parenting struggles are not criminal events and will conclude that both Marty and La’Quetta are innocent.”

On the day of their indictment, Small expressed his eagerness for the facts to be presented, adding that their daughter still lives at home. “All people have heard is one side of the story,” he stated. “We look forward to telling our side.”

The Smalls were indicted on September 17, shortly after the principal of Atlantic City High School, Constance Days-Chapman, was charged with failing to report the abuse allegations to state child welfare authorities. Days-Chapman, a close friend of the Smalls, is La’Quetta Small’s boss. Her lawyer maintains that she is innocent, and she pleaded not guilty in a recent court appearance.

According to the indictment, the girl informed Days-Chapman in December that she was suffering from headaches due to beatings by her parents. Instead of reporting the allegations to authorities, Days-Chapman reportedly informed the Smalls.

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Prosecutors indicated in court documents filed in April that the Smalls were disapproving of their daughter’s boyfriend, who allegedly recorded a video chat capturing an instance of the mayor physically and verbally assaulting the girl.

An affidavit reveals that the girl at one point admitted to fabricating accusations out of anger over her parents’ refusal to let her go out with friends. However, other parts of the document include detailed assertions from the girl that the abuse was genuine. She reportedly photographed her bruises and shared them with her boyfriend, who in turn provided the evidence to detectives.

The prosecution, led by William Reynolds, cited various forms of evidence, including recordings of the girl’s interactions with her parents, her statements to police and school personnel, a therapist, and state child welfare investigators, as well as messages she sent to friends expressing feelings of unsafety at home.

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