Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small Sr.’s home was raided by police as part of an investigation into a “private family matter” involving child welfare authorities.
Mayor Marty Small Sr. spoke at a news conference Monday stating that the search of his home and vehicles last week by the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office was a “private family matter” and “not a crime”.
The strange press conference, which was full of denials and few details, presented his his wife La’Quetta S. Small, the superintendent of Atlantic City Public Schools, his two children and attorney Ed Jacobs to address the recent allegations leveled against him.
Although Smalls claims he “has nothing to hide,” he refused to reveal what the police were looking for, according to NBC News Philadelphia.
Mayor Marty Smalls Sr. speaks at a news conference Monday to address the search of his home and cars as his daughter Jada Smalls and her attorney, Edwin Jacbos (pictured right), stand next to him.
The mayor lives in the house with his wife, two children and his mother-in-law.
The mayor’s vehicles were also part of the raid carried out by the Prosecutor’s Office
‘We don’t have money from the Atlantic City Housing Authority in our house. We do not have money from the City of Atlantic City in our house. I didn’t steal anything,’ he said and CBS News Philadelphia reported.
‘My wife did not bring money from the Atlantic City Board of Education to our home, as alleged. No, we don’t have drugs in our house. And no, we don’t have weapons.
‘This confirms that I am human. This is a human element, it is a family issue. And anyone who works in this organization always says family first,’ he stated.
On Thursday, the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office executed five search warrants at the mayor’s home, vehicles were seized, and his cellphones and laptops were seized.
Small said: “They did all this just for a cell phone and laptops, because they want to think there is some kind of communication.”
Smalls said the investigation was something he was aware of and had been going on for three or four months, calling them “rumors” specifically when it involved his daughter, Jada.
Jada is a sophomore at Atlantic City High School.
He shared that despite the combined degrees he and his wife have earned, there is no book to help him overcome the challenges of raising teenagers.
The 50-year-old public servant, who took office in 2019, flatly denied several rumors about his case
One of the rumors the mayor spoke about revolved around his teenage daughter being pregnant with twins. NBC News Philadelphia reported.
The 50-year-old public official, who took office in 2019, strongly denied the rumor.
‘My daughter is not pregnant. My daughter has never been pregnant. “My daughter is not pregnant with twins,” said the mayor.
He also implied that law enforcement officials were targeting his office for political reasons and that the mThe press should connect the dots.
However, Smalls’ attorney said at the end of the conference that They did not allege that the search of the mayor’s home was politically motivated, but “they did not rule out anything,” according to a report.
On the same day of the search warrant, Constance Days-Chapman, 37, the The principal of an Atlantic City high school was accused of failing to file a report with a state child welfare agency about an allegation of child abuse.
The minor reportedly told Days-Chapman that her parents were “physically and emotionally abusive,” and the administrator later met with the accused parents to tell them what their daughter had said.
Days-Chapman was charged with official misconduct, obstruction of justice and related crimes. The charges were brought by subpoena, prosecutors said.
He also implied that law enforcement officials were targeting his office for political reasons and that the media should connect the dots.
The Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office issued a statement about the investigation into the mayor and said its officers acted appropriately during their search.
It is unclear whether the investigation into the mayor is related to Days-Chapman’s arrest.
The mayor and Chapman have a professional and personal relationship.
Days-Chapman, municipal chairman of the Atlantic City Democratic Committee and Small’s campaign manager, expressed his support for her.
She told the press conference that her children affectionately know her as ‘Aunt Maddy’ and said: ‘We support you Mandy, you did absolutely nothing wrong.’
The Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office issued a statement about the investigation and said its officers acted appropriately during the search.
“Standard operating procedures and protocols were used in the execution of residential search warrants to ensure the safety of all occupants of the residence, neighbors and law enforcement alike,” the office said in a statement.
The prosecutor’s office did not reveal the nature of the investigation or disclose possible findings or items that were stolen from the mayor’s house, according to the Philadelphia researcher.