(USNewsMag.com) – The mayor of Atlantic City, New Jersey, and his wife are facing charges for allegedly physically abusing their teenage daughter, including striking her in the head with a blunt object.
Mayor Marty Small Sr., 50, and his wife, 47-year-old La’Quetta Small, were charged on Monday, April 15th, with simple assault and child endangerment. The mayor was also hit with aggravated assault and terrorist threat charges.
The Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office said in a press release that the mayor is accused of hitting his daughter in the head using a broom until the girl lost consciousness. He’s also accused of punching her and threatening to further assault her by throwing her down the stairs.
The mayor’s wife, who serves as superintendent of Atlantic City Public Schools, reportedly dragged the girl by the hair and “struck her with a belt,” leaving marks on her daughter’s shoulders. La’Quetta also allegedly punched her daughter in the mouth and the chest with a closed fist in two separate incidents. According to the girl, the physical abuse occurred when she was between the ages of 15 and 16.
After a months-long investigation, the mayor’s home was searched on Wednesday, March 28th. The following Monday, April 1st, the mayor held a bizarre press conference and said he and his wife “have done nothing wrong.” He dismissed salacious rumors about the raid on his home, some of which he said claimed his daughter “got knocked up by a drug dealer,” had twins, and that they beat her up and killed the babies. The mayor’s wife, daughter, and son were all in attendance at the conference.
Shortly before the new conference, Atlantic City High School principal Constance Days-Chapman was charged for failing to report abuse of a student to the authorities.
According to the filing, the principal instead went directly to the parents. Although the filing does not name the student, Days-Chapman is close friends with the Smalls and once served as the mayor’s campaign manager and serves as Atlantic City Democratic Committee chairwoman. The mayor also mentioned the principal at the conference and expressed support, telling Days-Chapman that she “did absolutely nothing wrong.”
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