Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small Sr. was acquitted Thursday of endangering and abusing his teenage daughter.
Prosecutors accused Small of hitting and emotionally abusing the girl when she was 15 to 16 years old, at least once to the point of unconsciousness.
Just weeks before the trial began, Small was reelected to a new four-year term in the Democratic stronghold, posting a 24-percentage-point win over his Republican challenger.
The jury’s verdict comes after a week of testimony in which Small’s now 17-year-old daughter testified about multiple incidents in which she said her father had abused her, telling jurors that he had beaten and punched her and struck her with a broom. Small, meanwhile, took the stand to deny any abuse, insisting he is a loving father.
His wife, La’Quetta Small — who is the seaside gambling resort town’s schools superintendent — is also charged with abusing their daughter and will stand trial separately.
Outside the court Thursday afternoon, Small told reporters the verdict was a “win for everyone,†saying the entire city of Atlantic City was on trial.
“I’m not an abusive man, I never have and I never will,†he said, adding that he and his wife have been “dragged through the mud for nonsense.â€
Small continued, saying his daughter “is lost right now,†but he hopes to be able to reestablish their relationship.
Phone and email messages sent to a spokesperson for the prosecutor's office were not immediately returned Thursday afternoon.
Prosecutors accused Marty Small of asking their daughter to recant claims she made to law enforcement officials that he abused her. Small, 51, asked the girl to do him a favor and “twist up†the story she told police about being abused, according to prosecutors.
He was also accused of asking his daughter to claim that a head injury she sustained in January 2024 was from tripping and falling in her bedroom.
Small’s daughter told jurors that it actually came after she told her father she didn’t want to attend a city event, noting she had not done her hair. An argument ensued, and the girl said she splashed Small with laundry detergent after he pushed her, so he got the broom and struck her multiple times, causing her to pass out.
Small’s attorney, Louis Barbone, maintained during his questioning of the girl that there were inconsistencies in statements she gave authorities and disputed her account of the broom incident. He said prosecutors did not have a recording of the incident involving a broom and said the girl had been wielding a butter knife. Barbone said the teen’s injuries occurred when she fell as the two wrestled for the broom.
Barbone said the teen had exaggerated her injuries, noting she had told investigators she felt safe at home when they initially questioned her. The attorney described Small as a caring father, worried about his daughter, who legally disciplined his disobedient child.
During his testimony, Small denied harming his child.
Prosecutors have said the Smalls disapproved of their daughter’s boyfriend, who secretly used a video chat to record an alleged instance of the mayor physically and verbally assaulting the girl. Marty Small has called the situation a private family matter that did not rise to the level of a crime.
La’Quetta Small, 49, is scheduled to go on trial Jan. 12. She has pleaded not guilty and maintains her innocence.
Constance Days-Chapman, the now-suspended Atlantic City High School principal, is also charged in the case. Prosecutors have said she failed to report the teen’s abuse claim to the state Division of Child Protection and Permanency. She also has pleaded not guilty.
