A search warrant served at the home of Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small Sr. on Thursday was done as part of an ongoing police investigation into a “family matter” that arose several months ago, Small and his attorney said Monday.
Detectives arrived at the house on Presbyterian Avenue where the mayor, his wife and two children live. Bystanders began sharing photos online.
Standing beside his wife, La’Quetta, and the couples’ children, Small, a veteran Atlantic City official who has been mayor since 2019, stressed the investigation revolves around a matter outside City Hall.
Marty Small Sr. and his attorney, Ed Jacobs, did not elaborate on the family matter. The mayor, however, said rumors that have spread about how his children are involved are untrue.
“There’s no book or course we took in college to show you how to be a parent and, more importantly, how to deal with the struggles of raising teenagers,” Marty Small Sr. said, followed by applause from a crowd of supporters.
The warrant was served on the same day the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office announced misconduct charges against Atlantic City High School Principal Constance Days-Chapman. The administrator is accused of not informing Child Protection and Permanency of physical and emotional abuse reported by a student.
La’Quetta Small is superintendent of the Atlantic City public schools. Days-Chapman had previously managed Marty Small Sr.‘s reelection campaign.
Marty Small Sr. and his legal team declined to say whether the principal’s case and investigation into the mayor are linked, but Marty Small Sr. repeatedly said the school administrator and his family “did nothing wrong.”
Marty Small Sr. said he was preparing to take his mother-in-law to a doctor’s visit when authorities arrived at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday. Investigators stayed at the home for just over three hours, confiscating, according to the mayor, laptops and cell phones.
The prosecutor’s office on Monday said the warrant was approved by the court. The agency said it ensured any juveniles were removed from the property.
“The men and women of this office involved in the search conducted themselves in the highest professional manner,” the prosecutor’s office said in a statement. “Standard operating procedures and protocols in executing residential search warrants were utilized to ensure the safety of all occupants of the residence, neighbors, and law enforcement alike.”
Jacobs said it was highly “unusual” to see search warrants applied to cases involving family matters. He said he and the mayor have been aware of the investigation for at least three months.
He did not believe city property was seized. Jacobs declined to discuss his legal strategy in the case and denied that his client could be charged criminally.
“It’s unfortunate that personal family matters have drawn the attention of the county prosecutor, but they have,” Jacobs said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Eric Conklin may be reached at econklin@njadvancemedia.com.
