John Jefferson
Left: Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small Sr. speaks at a press conference in Atlantic City, N.J., on Jan. 15, 2020 (AP Photo/Wayne Parry). Right: La’Quetta Small (Atlantic City Public Schools).
The mayor of Atlantic City, New Jersey, and his wife — who is the head of the city’s school system — have been indicted on charges that they allegedly beat and verbally abused their teenage daughter.
Mayor Marty Small Sr., 50, and Superintendent La’Quetta Small, 47, are charged with second-degree endangering the welfare of a child. The mayor was also indicted on charges of third-degree terroristic threats and aggravated assault, the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office said Wednesday. The abuse is alleged to have happened over “multiple occasions” in December and January.
“During one incident, on January 13, 2024, Marty Small, Sr. is alleged to have hit his daughter multiple times in the head with a broom causing her to lose consciousness,” prosecutors wrote in a statement. “Another incident on January 3, 2024, alleged that Marty Small, Sr., during an argument with his daughter, continuously threatened to hurt her by ‘earth slamming’ her down the stairs, grabbing her head and throwing her to the ground, and smacking the weave out of her head.”
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Prosecutors said La’Quetta Small repeatedly punched her daughter in the chest, leaving bruising. In another incident, she allegedly dragged the girl by her hair before beating her with a belt on her shoulders which left marks. She also punched the girl in the mouth during an argument, prosecutors claim.
Philadelphia NBC affiliate WCAU obtained an arrest affidavit that laid out more of the case. The girl reportedly admitted she had previously invented abuse claims because she was upset they wouldn’t let her go out friends, but she photographed her injuries and sent the photos to her boyfriend, who gave them to prosecutors. Prosecutors also obtained voice recordings of arguments between her and her parents, the affidavit reportedly said. She also allegedly said she did not feel safe at home.
When allegations surfaced earlier this year, the couple’s lawyer said they are “completely innocent” and will be “vindicated,” WCAU reported.
Marty Small, a Democrat, was elected mayor in 2019 after a 15-year stint on the city council. La’Quetta Small was named Atlantic County Schools superintendent in 2022, the first Black woman to hold the position. She’s worked in the school system for over 20 years, her biography said.
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