Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small Sr. and his wife, La'Quetta Small, are facing serious legal charges after being indicted on allegations of physically and emotionally abusing their teenage daughter, according to the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office.
The incidents reportedly occurred between December 2023 and January 2024, when their daughter was 15 and 16 years old.
Prosecutors claim that the Smalls subjected the girl to multiple episodes of abuse.
The most severe incident allegedly occurred on January 13, when Mayor Small was accused of hitting his daughter in the head with a broom, causing her to lose consciousness.
In another episode earlier that month, the mayor allegedly threatened to throw her down the stairs and repeatedly punched her in the legs, leaving bruises.
La'Quetta Small, the superintendent of Atlantic City Public Schools, is accused of participating in the abuse. According to the indictment, she allegedly punched her daughter multiple times in the chest and struck her with a belt, leaving visible injuries. In another altercation, prosecutors say she punched her daughter in the mouth during an argument.
The whole incident came to light after the teenage girl confided in a school employee following a mental health training session.
The students were asked to mark their feelings on an "exit ticket" with faces representing "happy," "sad," or "neutral." The girl circled "neutral" and wrote on the back "abuse" and that she wanted to see a counsellor, according to a criminal complaint obtained by NBC Philadelphia.
The girl's boyfriend provided investigators with video evidence showing her injuries, including scratches, bruises, swelling, and hair loss.
Medical records revealed that the girl was hospitalized on January 16, 2024, for a head injury sustained three days earlier. At the hospital, the teenager and her father told staff she had hit her head while playing with her younger brother.
Mayor Small's attorney, Ed Jacobs, has defended the couple, insisting they are "completely innocent of any wrongdoing" and that the case is a private family matter unrelated to mayoral misconduct. Jacobs added that he believes the Smalls will ultimately be vindicated.
Both the mayor's office and the Atlantic City school district declined to provide additional comments on the matter.
The incidents reportedly occurred between December 2023 and January 2024, when their daughter was 15 and 16 years old.
Prosecutors claim that the Smalls subjected the girl to multiple episodes of abuse.
The most severe incident allegedly occurred on January 13, when Mayor Small was accused of hitting his daughter in the head with a broom, causing her to lose consciousness.
In another episode earlier that month, the mayor allegedly threatened to throw her down the stairs and repeatedly punched her in the legs, leaving bruises.
La'Quetta Small, the superintendent of Atlantic City Public Schools, is accused of participating in the abuse. According to the indictment, she allegedly punched her daughter multiple times in the chest and struck her with a belt, leaving visible injuries. In another altercation, prosecutors say she punched her daughter in the mouth during an argument.
The whole incident came to light after the teenage girl confided in a school employee following a mental health training session.
The students were asked to mark their feelings on an "exit ticket" with faces representing "happy," "sad," or "neutral." The girl circled "neutral" and wrote on the back "abuse" and that she wanted to see a counsellor, according to a criminal complaint obtained by NBC Philadelphia.
The girl's boyfriend provided investigators with video evidence showing her injuries, including scratches, bruises, swelling, and hair loss.
Medical records revealed that the girl was hospitalized on January 16, 2024, for a head injury sustained three days earlier. At the hospital, the teenager and her father told staff she had hit her head while playing with her younger brother.
Mayor Small's attorney, Ed Jacobs, has defended the couple, insisting they are "completely innocent of any wrongdoing" and that the case is a private family matter unrelated to mayoral misconduct. Jacobs added that he believes the Smalls will ultimately be vindicated.
Both the mayor's office and the Atlantic City school district declined to provide additional comments on the matter.
You may also like
Rajasthan: Two-year-old girl falls into borewell in Dausa's Bandikui, rescue ops underway
'Like newlyweds again': Kate Middleton and Prince William's bond strengthens amid cancer treatment
God of War Ragnarok PC release time, date, PC requirements and Steam Deck
UIDAI unlocks biometrics of over 9L frozen during NRC for Aadhaar: Sarma
