Atlantic City mayor, superintendent cancel criminal court appearance

Another court date planned for Atlantic City's first couple will not happen.

Marty and La'Quetta Small face charges of abuse and child endangerment in alleged physical attacks on their 16-year-old daughter.

The claims include an allegation that Mayor Marty Small beat the girl with a broom so badly that she lost consciousness.

The couple were due in court Monday for a pre-indictment conference, but their attorneys had it removed from the schedule.

Pre-indictment conferences are held to see if a case can be resolved before it goes to a grand jury for indictment. That is not expected to happen in this case.

The mayor has vehemently denied the accusations, alleging that he and his wife were targeted due to their race and that they control millions of dollars in public money due to their positions. Dr. La'Quetta Small is the school district's superintendent.

The couple's Presbyterian Avenue home was searched March 28, just hours before close friend and Atlantic City High School Principal Constance Days-Chapman was charged with official misconduct.

Days-Chapman — known to the Small children as "Aunt Mandy" — is accused of failing to report abuse allegations the Small's teen daughter brought to her principal.

The principal, who is a mandated reporter, is also accused of failing to report a second time, after the teenager went to someone else in the school. Days-Chapman then allegedly went to the Smalls to tell them what the girl had alleged.

The Division of Child Protection and Permanency had no record of any reports, an investigation by the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office found.

Days-Chapman did appear for her pre-indictment conference last month. Afterward, her attorney called her "collateral damage" in the state's battle with the Smalls.

The Smalls will not make a court appearance until after their cases is presented to a grand jury for indictment.

They also could face more charges depending upon an investigation into allegations by their daughter's boyfriend.

The teenager filed a tort claim against the pair, claiming they attempted to destroy evidence by having people try to obtain an iPad that contains audio recordings of the fights that allegedly turned physical.

There also are reportedly pictures of the girl's injuries on the iPad.

A rally was held on behalf of the Smalls after the search of their home but before the criminal charges were filed.

Several leaders at that time indicated racial bias was involved, including local NAACP President Kaleem Shabazz and Bishop Robert Fulton Hargrove.

After attacking his office, the two later posed for pictures with Atlantic County Prosecutor William Reynolds, when the NAACP honored him with the Government Service Award.

A date for grand jury presentment was not given.