As part of their investigation into a “private family matter” involving child welfare officials, police searched the residence of Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small Sr.
During a press conference on Monday, Mayor Marty Small Sr. said that the search of his residence and cars conducted last week by the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office was “not a crime.”
At the strange news conference, which focused more on denials than information, he addressed the latest claims with his wife, La’Quetta S. Small, the Atlantic City Public Schools superintendent. They were joined by their two children and attorney Ed Jacobs.
Smalls said he had nothing to hide but still wouldn’t know what the police were searching for.
He claimed that there was no money from the Atlantic City housing authority in his home and denied stealing anything.
He said it was false that his wife brought money from the home of the Atlantic City Board of Education. Additionally, he said there were no drugs or guns in his house.
The Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office executed five search warrants on Thursday on the mayor’s residence, cars, and electronic devices.
The mayor reportedly addressed reports that his teenage daughter was expecting twins. He said with regard to his daughter, the accusations were “rumors.”
Jada attends Atlantic City High School and is now a sophomore.
The 50-year-old government official, who took office in 2019, strongly refuted the accusation. “She is not expecting twins,” the mayor assured the public.
Additionally, he said that the media should make the connection between law enforcement personnel’s targeting of his office and their political motivations.
According to a report, Smalls’ lawyer said after the conference that they were not claiming that the search of the mayor’s residence was motivated by politics, but they were also not ruling anything out.
The 37-year-old Atlantic City High School principal, Constance Days-Chapman, was also charged with failing to submit a child abuse claim to a state child welfare agency on the same day as the search warrant.
After the minor informed Days-Chapman that her parents were abusing her “emotionally and physically,” the administrator visited with the parents to relay the information but did not alert authorities.
Days-Chapman was charged with offenses, including governmental misconduct and obstruction of justice. The prosecutor’s office said the charges were attached to a summons.
The relationship between the mayor’s probe and Days-arrest Chapman’s may not necessarily be connected.
Chapman has a personal and professional connection with the mayor.
Days-Chapman, who had managed Small’s campaign, is now the head of the Atlantic City Democratic Committee and has spoken out in her favor.
