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, was acquitted by a jury of assaulting and verbally abusing his teenage daughter in a case he says was politically motivated.
Mayor Marty Small Sr., 51, was charged last year with aggravated assault, terroristic threats and endangering the welfare of a child. His wife, 48-year-old La’Quetta Small, was charged with endangering the welfare of a child.
Jurors found Marty Small not guilty of all charges on Thursday after the trial which lasted over a week. He came out of the courthouse elated and celebrated with his supporters. He said it was a “great day.”
“The entire Atlantic City was on trial, and this is a win for everyone,” Small told reporters.
He and his wife denied any wrongdoing. The mayor, who was reelected as he was facing the charges, believed there were “political forces” who were against him and his wife.
He also spoke about his daughter.
“My daughter’s lost right now, but like I said, when we win this case, we’re gonna get things back on track as the man of the house. If I can be the man of the city, I can be the man of the house, and I’m gonna get my daughter back in check,” he said.
La’Quetta Small’s case remains ongoing.
As Law&Crime previously reported, the abuse is alleged to have happened over “multiple occasions” in December 2023 and January 2024.
“During one incident, on Jan. 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 Jan. 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.”
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.
Marty Small, a Democrat, was elected mayor in 2019 after a 15-year stint on the city council. La’Quetta Small became 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.
