Atlantic City's mayor was concerned about an investigation into child abuse claims becoming public and harming his career, a DCPP worker testified Thursday.
But Alysen Quay said she observed no physical injuries on his teenage daughter during a body check at that time, and that the girl denied any abuse.
Marty Small is on trial for allegedly abusing his daughter and then asking her to lie about it after he was criminally charged.
The state rested its case after a child abuse pediatrics doctor testified about marks on the teen's body, which she said indicated "non-accidental inflicted trauma."
Dr. Stephanie Lanese went through photos showing the girl's left arm, thighs and face, testifying about what may have caused them.
She noted "linear" marks that would be caused by a straight object. She estimated one photo could have shown at least four and as many as six strikes to the girl.
That is expected to be used as part of the allegations that Small ignored injuries inflicted on his daughter by his wife, Schools Superintendent Dr. La'Quetta Small, who faces trial next month.
The doctor was unable to confirm the source of the girl's head injury, which the state alleges was caused by a broom the mayor used to beat his daughter unconscious.
She did point to marks on the girl's face that she said were an abrasion that was scabbing.
When shown the bristles and head of the broom, the doctor said that the marks could have been caused by the bristles — which the defense argues would not have knocked the girl unconscious.
"It could also be caused by the plastic edge of the broom head, if not the bristles themselves," Lanese said of the marks, pointing to a plastic corner of the broom before the bristle comes out.
Earlier Thursday, Quay — a Division of Child Protection and Permanency caseworker — said during her first visit to the Smalls' home in January 2024, the mayor referenced possible damage to his position.
"They (the Smalls) expressed concerns due to his public position as the mayor and not wanting the investigation or the division's involvement getting out in the public," Quay said. "Just that the investigation could affect his career."
He also told her to "use discretion" during her discussions with Atlantic City police as part of the investigation follow-up, since he oversees the department.
Small denied ever hitting his daughter, and said no when asked if he used a broom, she said.
When Quay read the specifics of the allegations, she said Small "was staring down at the ground and just shook his head no."
Before that, she said Small had been looking up at her, but "when i started to read the actual allegations, he became slumpish into his chair and stared down at the ground."
Several visits later, Small finally gave his version of what happened with the broom.
DCPP worker Jenny Hyde, brought in from Ocean County due to the conflict, was talking to Dr. La'Quetta Small in the family's kitchen May 3, 2024, when Mayor Small came in on the phone with who he indicated was his attorney.
He went into his man cave with his wife before coming out and telling Hyde, "his attorney gave him the greenlight to tell what happened Jan. 13, 2024."
It's then that Small said that his daughter brandished a butter knife at him during the argument, before putting it down and picking up the broom.
When she tried to hit him, Small told Hyde that he grabbed it and the two tussled.
He pushed the broom forward, and his daughter fell back and hit her head on the baseboard, passing out, according to the testimony.
Small told her he called for his son to get water, which was sprinkled on the girl, who came to after a few seconds.
She said Small told her he did not tell the girl to lie when she was taken to the hospital, but he just went with the story she gave.
"He didn't want to let the public know that his daughter had picked up a knife and attempted to hit him with a broom," Hyde said he told her.
The state is expected to wrap up its case Thursday afternoon, with the testimony of a child abuse expert.
The state rested after Lanese's testimony without calling either the lead investigator or the girl's boyfriend, who was the first to raise concerns about the issues in the home via social media.
The defense then made a motion to dismiss the witness tampering charge, noting that Small's daughter said she could not recall exactly what her father said to her when he allegedly asked her to "twist up" her story after he and her mother were charged.
The defense will present witnesses Friday. Small is expected to testify.
Defense attorney Lou Barbone told the judge he has 16 witnesses, many of them character witnesses.
