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7 months ago
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The home of Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small Sr. 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 on Monday asserting the search of his home and his vehicles last week by the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office was about a 'private family issue,' and 'not a crime.'
The bizarre press conference - that was heavy on denials and light on details featured his his wife La'Quetta S. Small, the superintendent of Atlantic City Public Schools, their two children, and attorney, Ed Jacobs to address the recent accusations made against him.
Though Smalls claims 'he has nothing to hide,' he refused to reveal what cops were looking for, as per NBC News Philadelphia.
Mayor Marty Smalls Sr. speaks at a press conference on Monday to address the search of his home and cars as his daughter Jada Smalls and his attorney, Edwin Jacbos (pictured right), stand next to him
The Mayor lives at the home with his wife, two children and mother- in-law
The Mayor's vehicles were also part of the search executed by the prosecutor's office
'We don't have Atlantic City housing authority money in our house. We don't have City of Atlantic City money in our house. I didn't steal anything,' he said and CBS News Philadelphia reported.
'My wife didn't bring Atlantic City Board of Education money to our house, as alleged, No, we don't have drugs in our house. And no, we don't have guns.'
'This confirms I'm human. This is a human element, this is a family issue. And anyone who works in this organization always says family first,' he said.
On Thursday, the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office executed five search warrants on the mayor's home, vehicles and his cellphone and laptops were seized.
Small said: 'They did all of this just for a cellphone and laptops, because they want to think that there's some kind of communication going on.'
Smalls said the investigation was something that he was aware of that had been going on for three to four months, and called 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 that he and his wife have achieved, there is no book that helps you navigate the challenges faced when raising teenagers.
The 50-year-old public servant, who came into office in 2019, adamantly 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 servant, who came into office in 2019, adamantly denied the rumor.
'My daughter is not pregnant. My daughter has never been pregnant. My daughter is not pregnant with twins,' the mayor said.
He also implied that law enforcement officials were targeting his office for political reasons and that the media should connect the dots.
However, Smalls' lawyer said at the end of the conference they were not alleging that the search of the mayor's home was politically motivated, but they were 'not ruling anything out,' as per a report.
On the same day of the search warrant, Constance Days-Chapman, 37, the principal of Atlantic City High School was charged with failing to make a report to a state child welfare agency about an allegation of child abuse.
The juvenile reportedly told Days-Chapman they were being 'emotionally and physically abused by her parents,' the administrator then later met with the accused parents to tell them what their child had said.
Days-Chapman was charged with official misconduct, obstruction of justice, and related offenses. The charges were placed on a summons, the prosecutor's office said.
He also implied that law enforcement officials were targeting his office for political reasons and that the m edia should connect the dots
The Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office released a statement on the investigation into the mayor, saying their officers acted appropriately during their sear
It is unclear whether the investigation into the mayor is connected to the arrest of Days-Chapman.
The Mayor and Chapman have a professional and personal relationship.
Days-Chapman, who is municipal chair of the Atlantic City Democratic Committee, served as Small's campaign manager, expressed his support for her.
He said at the news conference, she is affectionately known as 'Aunt Maddy' by his children, and said: 'We support you Mandy, you did absolutely nothing wrong.'
The Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office released a statement on the investigation, saying their officers acted appropriately during their search.
'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,' the office said in a statement.
The prosecutor's office did not disclose the nature of the investigation, or release any potential findings or items that were removed from the mayor's home, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
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