Published on: November 14, 2024, 01:58h.
Last updated on: November 14, 2024, 02:11h.
The charges against Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small Sr. (D) in relation to child endangerment have intensified with the addition of a witness tampering charge by the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office.
Back in September, Small, 50, and his wife, Dr. La’Quetta Small, 47, the superintendent of Atlantic City Public Schools, were indicted by a grand jury for second-degree child endangerment. In addition to these charges, the mayor, who is the top local government official in the nation’s second-largest casino market, was also charged with third-degree terroristic threats and third-degree aggravated assault.
While the attention of the nation was on the 2024 election last week, the accusations against Small were heightened when the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office alleged that he instructed his daughter to provide false information about how she received a head injury. Prosecutors claim that Small asked his daughter to retract her previous statements to law enforcement.
The September indictment alleged that the mayor hit his daughter in the head multiple times with a broomstick on Jan. 13, 2024, resulting in her losing consciousness. An earlier incident on Jan. 3, 2024, accused Small of threatening to throw the teen down a flight of stairs and to “smack the weave out” of her head.
Another incident involved the mayor allegedly punching his daughter in the legs, leaving bruises. Marty and La’Quetta Small have pleaded not guilty.
Attorney Rejects New Allegation
The Smalls are accused of endangering their teenage daughter’s well-being through physical and emotional abuse. Their lawyer, Ed Jacobs, dismissed the witness tampering charge against the mayor as part of what he believes is a smear campaign by the county prosecutor’s office.
Referring to the witness tampering accusation as “baseless,” Jacobs stated that the mayor simply encouraged his daughter to tell the truth.
When a parent guides a child to provide accurate and truthful statements to investigators, it is not considered witness tampering. It is a responsible act of a good parent. And that is precisely what Marty Small did,” Jacobs explained.
It remains uncertain whether the Smalls’ daughter still resides at home. Following a police search of the Smalls’ residence in April, the mayor held a public conference where his daughter stood beside him, publicly stating that the investigation was a “family matter” that should be kept private.
Case Could Impact AC Government, School District
If found guilty, each of the Smalls could face between five and 10 years in prison and fines of up to $150,000. A guilty verdict — as they are being jointly tried — would also have repercussions on Atlantic City’s administration and the public school district.
In addition to Dr. Small, Atlantic City High School Principal Constance Days-Chapman is implicated in the Smalls’ case.
Prosecutors allege that the Smalls’ daughter informed Days-Chapman about the abuse she was enduring at home. However, instead of reporting this to law enforcement and child welfare authorities as required by state law and district policy, the principal only shared this with the mayor and his wife, who have been long-time friends of hers.
Days-Chapman is facing eight charges, including official misconduct and child endangerment.
Days-Chapman also serves as the president of the Atlantic City Democratic Committee.