Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small Sr. and his wife, La’Quetta Small, recently entered not guilty pleas regarding serious allegations involving their daughter.
In September, the couple, with La’Quetta serving as the superintendent of Atlantic City schools, faced indictment on charges pertaining to child endangerment. The mayor specifically is charged with assault and making terroristic threats.
According to prosecutors, the couple purportedly inflicted physical and emotional harm on their daughter during December and January, when she was 15 and 16 years old. Reports indicate that she was left unconscious at least once due to the alleged abuse.
In response to the allegations, Mayor Small insisted the claims are unfounded, categorizing the situation as a private family issue that does not constitute a crime. “The challenges of parenting don’t amount to criminal behavior,” Small’s attorney Ed Jacobs stated, suggesting that their public profiles are unfairly drawing excessive scrutiny.
AP Photo/Wayne Parry
Jacobs expressed belief that jurors will see the distinction between normal parenting struggles and criminal conduct and ultimately recognize the couple’s innocence.
An affidavit from the prosecution revealed that the couple’s daughter had once admitted to exaggerating claims when upset about her parents’ control, yet she also provided detailed accounts of real abuse. She reportedly documented her injuries and shared them with her boyfriend, who alerted authorities.
This boyfriend, whom the Smalls disapproved of, allegedly recorded a video chat capturing an instance of Mayor Small’s physical and verbal aggression toward their daughter, according to court documents.
In a related matter, Atlantic City High School principal Constance Days-Chapman faces charges for allegedly failing to report the abuse. She was informed by the Smalls’ daughter in December about her experience with beatings and yet chose to inform the parents instead of notifying the appropriate child welfare services.
Days-Chapman’s attorney, Lee Vartan, has asserted her innocence, claiming that they presented solid evidence to the prosecutor, which was disregarded.
This article incorporates reporting from The Associated Press.