Mayor Marty Small in court for the arraignment of him and his wife in child abuse case.
The Atlantic City mayor’s appearance with police at the home of a witness in his criminal case was about his responsibility as a parent that “political opportunists” are trying to use against him, he told BreakingAC.
“I did what any responsible parent would do,” Mayor Marty Small said. “I’m a parent first and a mayor second.”
Officers were called to the 1600 block of Michigan Avenue at 3:50 p.m. Sunday for a well-being check, Capt. Kevin Fair confirmed.
He would not name the caller, saying only that “it was a well-being check initiated by a parent regarding their child.”
The mayor confirmed it was in response to a call that his daughter was in distress, although he would not detail how he was notified.
The scene garnered attention after activist Steve Young reportedly called local radio host Harry Hurley, saying the mayor was at the scene and refused to leave until he saw his daughter.
The address is the family home of the girl’s boyfriend, who is a witness in the criminal case against the mayor and his wife, Superintendent of Schools Dr. La’Quetta Small, who were indicted on charges they abused their teenage daughter.
A tort claim filed on behalf of the girl's boyfriend in April alleges that the Smalls enlisted people “to attempt to confiscate and/or destroy evidence in (the juvenile’s) possession implicating the Smalls in potential criminal conduct including abuse.”
BreakingAC previously reported that the evidence targeted was the iPad referenced in the affidavit of probable cause that allegedly contains audio of arguments that turned physical between the girl and her parents on separate occasions. The recordings were captured as the two teens were talking.
No criminal charges have been filed against the Smalls reflecting those allegations.
As for his appearance at the home Sunday, the mayor said he showed up as a concerned parent.
“I did what every responsible parent in the world would do,” he told BreakingAC on Tuesday. “You hear something about your child, and it’s your duty to respond.”
Small and Young had a verbal altercation at the scene, part of which was recorded by Young and released publicly, including a copy sent to this publication.
“Why are you here in a city car talking about, it’s personal?” asks Young, who heads the local chapter of the National Action Network.
“You’re a (expletive) disgrace,” Small can be heard saying.
“You’re a disgrace,” Young responds as the two go back and forth.
Small and Young often have been at odds.
“I can’t help what political opportunists and people who think they know about this bullshit case will do or say,” Small told BreakingAC. “We’re going to have our day in court, and we will be overwhelmingly acquitted of all charges.
“What people need to worry about is how my purported political enemies are knee-deep in this case and when everyone finds out what’s going on they’ll see this bullshit for what it is.”
As for the wellness check, the teen being sought was not there, according to the police report.
"The officers were unable to physically locate the individual, but did have contact by cell phone," Fair said.
A representative for the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office said they could not comment on the incident.
