Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small Sr. and his wife Dr. La'Quetta Small were charged with abusing their 16-year-old daughter, according to the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office.
Officials say the Special Victims Unit has been investigating several alleged incidents involving the couple and their daughter since December 2023.
The mayor and first lady, who is also the superintendent of Atlantic City Schools, are alleged to have beaten their daughter on several occasions. Mayor Small is alleged to have hit the teen multiple times on the head with a broom to the point of unconsciousness. La'Quetta Small is alleged to have dragged her daughter by her hair and then hit her with a belt on one occasion. It's also alleged La'Quetta Small punched her daughter in the mouth during an argument. The mayor and first lady are both charged with second-degree endangering the welfare of a child.
Marty Small, Sr. is additionally charged with, third-degree terroristic threats, third-degree aggravated assault and disorderly persons simple assault.
La’Quetta Small is additionally charged with three separate counts of disorderly persons simple assault.
Mayor Small had his family and his attorney by his side just two weeks ago at a press conference addressing a search warrant that happened at his home on Presbyterian Avenue on March 28.
"This entire investigation arose from nothing more than a personal and emotional family matter within the Small household,” says Ed Jacobs, the Small family attorney.
Mayor Small said during that news conference, "There's no book and no course that we took in college to show you how to be a parent and more importantly how to deal with the struggles of raising teenagers. We're going through family therapy and that's what this should be is a family matter and that's what we're telling you today.”
News 12 New Jersey reached out to the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office, and it had no comment about the situation. News 12 also reached out to the Small family attorney and the Board Of Education but has not heard back yet.