September 18, 2024
Carol Comegno/Cherry Hill Courier-Post Staff
Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small Sr., above, and his wife, La'Quetta Small, face multiple charges stemming from allegations that they abused their teenage daughter.
Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small Sr. and his wife have been indicted on charges that they physically harmed and threatened their teenage daughter on multiple occasions last winter, the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office said Wednesday.
Small, 50, and his wife, La'Quetta, 47, were charged in April when authorities alleged their daughter had been beaten with a broomstick, slammed down stairs and punched repeatedly during arguments at the family's home in December and January. The couple's daughter turned 16 during the period of the investigation. The indictment was handed down Tuesday by the grand jury.
Earlier this year, the teen reported the alleged abuse to Small's former campaign manager, Constance Days-Chapman, who had been serving as the principal of Atlantic City High School. Prosecutors said Days-Chapman failed to report the information to authorities after the girl disclosed that she was "physically and emotionally abused" by her parents. The teen then went to a school counselor for help days later, prosecutors said.
Instead of notifying the Division of Child Protection and Permanency, Days-Chapman allegedly went to the Smalls' home to discuss what their daughter had told her and the school counselor. DCPP officials said the office never received a report of child abuse. Days-Chapman was charged with hindering apprehension of another, obstruction of justice and failure to report child abuse. She was indicted by a grand jury last week.
Officers for the county prosecutor's offices searched the Smalls' home on April 28, seizing phones and laptops from the property. Days later, Small held a news conference with his attorney to address the charges against Days-Chapman. The mayor described her as a "close family friend" who "did absolutely nothing wrong." Small also claimed the investigation had "political and racial" motivations and the issue was a "family matter."
The prosecutor's office said an investigation uncovered multiple instances of abuse.
On Jan. 3, Small allegedly hurt his daughter during an argument by "earth slamming" her down the stairs and shoving her head to the ground, investigators said. On Jan. 13, Small allegedly hit his daughter multiple times in the head with a broom until she lost consciousness. Small is also accused of punching his daughter in the legs and leaving bruises.
La'Quetta Small allegedly punched her daughter in the chest, dragged her by the hair, hit her with a belt and struck her in the face during other incidents, prosecutors said.
In an affidavit of probable cause, investigators said the Smalls' alleged abuse of their daughter was triggered by arguments about her boyfriend, the Press of Atlantic City reported. Investigators said the boyfriend had audio recordings of the abuse on an iPad.
Small's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.
Small and his wife are each charged with second-degree endangering the welfare of a child. Small is additionally charged with third-degree terroristic threats and third-degree aggravated assault.
Small was first appointed mayor by city council in 2019 after the resignation of former Mayor Frank Gilliam. He won a special election in 2020 to retain his job for a one-year term and then won an election the next year for his first four-year term, which ends next year.
