ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (CBS) — Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small stood defiant Wednesday afternoon and said he has no plans of resigning after being indicted by a grand jury on child abuse charges.
Small spoke to reporters inside his office in City Hall hours after the Atlantic County prosecutor’s office announced both he and his wife, La’Quetta Small, were formally indicted Tuesday on charges of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child. The couple is accused of physically and emotionally abusing their teenage daughter multiple times in December and January.
The couple was charged in April.
Marty Small was also indicted for third-degree terroristic threats and third-degree aggravated assault.
“I want to make it clear this has nothing to do with my job as mayor of the great city of Atlantic City, this is a personal family matter,” he said.
According to court documents, the mayor is accused of repeatedly hitting his daughter in the head with a broom until she blacked out and punching her in the legs. The documents also say the girl’s mom, who is the superintendent of Atlantic City Schools, hit her with a belt and dragged her by the hair.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy’s office released a statement after the indictment was announced:
“While Mayor Small is entitled to due process under the law, given the seriousness of these criminal charges, Governor Murphy believes that Mayor Small should consider whether he can continue effectively serving the people of Atlantic City as Mayor.”
“The governor didn’t say I should step down. He said I should consider,” Marty Small said. “Let me let the public and everyone know when my house was raided, I came back on the job. The day I was charged I went and got my lunch and came to work. Clearly, it’s not a distraction. Clearly, we’re doing a great job and we got all the love, respect, and support from the people of Atlantic City, which matters. I’m not worried about the outsiders.”
The mayor said he expected the indictment to be announced and said he’s glad the case is moving forward so he can soon tell his side of the story.
“Me and Mr. Jacobs have a lot to say moving forward, and more importantly to a courtroom and subsequently a jury,” he said.
Ed Jacobs is Small’s attorney.
Jacobs told CBS News Philadelphia, “The indictment has absolutely nothing to do with the governance of Atlantic City. There is no allegation of any wrongdoing of the Mayor of Atlantic City in any way. This is an example of the Atlantic County prosecutor meddling in family affairs, and this is a private family matter. I am confident Marty Small and his wife, La’Quetta Small, will ultimately be vindicated. They are completely innocent of all these charges.”
Marty Small said his daughter is doing fine and is thriving academically and is in a safe environment at home.
“My daughter has been with us throughout her entire life, and she stays with us at the house we own,” he said. “She hasn’t been anywhere, she hasn’t moved, she’s not in no facility, so lets set the record straight on that.”
