The Custody Evaluator's Report
A professional custody evaluation based on the complete text message record.
Initial Assessment
I was appointed to conduct a custody evaluation in the matter of Choplin v. Rogers. As part of my review, I was provided with the complete text message record between the parties — 5,118 messages spanning February 2020 through March 2026. What follows are my observations.
Early Period: A Functional Co-Parenting Relationship (2020-2021)
The first eighteen months of the text record demonstrate that these two parents were once capable of cooperative co-parenting. Scheduling was flexible. Medical information was shared willingly. Both parties accommodated each other's requests with minimal friction. This is important to note because it establishes that the deterioration documented later was not inevitable — it represents a departure from a functioning baseline.
Mr. Choplin's communication pattern during this period shows consistent engagement with his daughter's welfare — asking about health, school, activities. Ms. Rogers responded appropriately, if sometimes briefly. Both parents demonstrated the capacity for child-centered decision-making.
Communication Imbalance (2022-2026)
Beginning in early 2022, a significant and measurable communication imbalance develops:
Response Time Asymmetry
Mr. Choplin's median response time remained consistently under one hour throughout the six-year period. Ms. Rogers' response times increased to frequently exceeding 12 hours, and in many cases, no response was provided at all.
Unanswered Substantive Messages
Over 600 messages from Mr. Choplin received either no response or a response delayed by more than 12 hours. Many were questions about Adele's medical care, school performance, and scheduling.
Minimal Engagement Pattern
300 instances of "minimal engagement" — responses of "ok," "k," "sure" to messages that warranted substantive discussion.
In custody evaluations, communication patterns are highly indicative. A parent who consistently engages and a parent who consistently disengages create an environment where the engaged parent is marginalized.
Access to the Child During Custodial Time
One of the most concerning patterns involves Mr. Choplin's attempts to communicate with Adele during Ms. Rogers' custodial time.
I documented over 50 specific instances where Mr. Choplin requested to speak with, call, or FaceTime his daughter while she was at Ms. Rogers' home. The outcomes:
- No response: Most common
- Deflection: "She's busy," "She's in the tub," "She's asleep" — with timing that sometimes makes these explanations implausible
- Acknowledgment without follow-through: Ms. Rogers says "ok" but Adele never calls
Mr. Choplin also requested that Adele be given a phone — a request that was ignored for thirteen days before being dismissed.
In my professional experience, a parent who systematically limits the other parent's access to the child during custodial time is engaging in gatekeeping behavior. This is not one or two missed calls — it is a pattern spanning years.
The "Your Time / My Time" Contradiction
Ms. Rogers invokes "your time is your time, my time is my time" at several documented points. In practice, I observed selective application:
When he asks about her time. When he asks to talk to Adele.
When she needs him to pack items, adjust his schedule, or accommodate her requests during his time.
This selective application suggests the boundary is used as a gatekeeping tool rather than a genuine co-parenting philosophy.
Child Welfare Concerns
Self-Harm Reference (May 2022)
Mr. Choplin references that Adele "was self harming and said she wanted to kill herself." Ms. Rogers does not dispute this claim. The absence of a denial is notable. This warrants independent investigation.
Medical Communication Gaps: Multiple instances where medical information was not communicated between households in a timely manner. Mr. Choplin appears to be the parent more frequently requesting this information, and Ms. Rogers the parent more frequently withholding or delaying it.
School Involvement Disparity: Mr. Choplin repeatedly requests access to school accounts, report cards, teacher communication, and counselor information. The record shows this access was resisted.
Writing Style Anomaly
For five years (2020-2024), Ms. Rogers' texting style is consistent: casual, abbreviated, minimal punctuation, informal vocabulary.
Beginning approximately April 2025, a significant subset of messages exhibit a dramatically different style: formal vocabulary, structured sentences, legal/custodial terminology ("in reference to," "as the parent," "communicated," "be advised"), and a writing pattern more consistent with professional documentation than personal text messaging.
Mr. Choplin himself noted this shift on April 3, 2025: "Is this Melanie I'm texting with?"
Ms. Rogers' partner, Todd, is a law enforcement detective — a profession associated with the formal, documentation-style writing that appears in these anomalous messages.
Recommendations
I recommend the court order a more detailed evaluation including interviews with both parents, Adele, and relevant third parties including Todd.
Corroborated by the Court Record
The concerns identified above are not hypothetical. They are confirmed by sworn testimony, professional evaluations, and court orders:
Melissa Cavanaugh, LPC-S — Deposition, August 14, 2024
"She was self-harming. She was hitting herself and scratching herself, and she had passively alluded to suicidal ideation."
"Her symptoms of anxiety, up until the last time I saw her in February, had tremendously gotten worse, per her report to me and per my witnessing her panic attacks."
On Todd's Interference in Counseling
"Todd kind of chuckled when I used the word traumatized and said she's not traumatized... things didn't change much after that."
Cavanaugh testified Todd questioned whether Adele needed continued counseling and that Melanie asked why she was "still in counseling" despite worsening symptoms.
Dr. Jean Boudreaux, PhD — Evaluation, May 11, 2021
Evaluated Adele at age 8. Noted "one instance of threatened but not actual self-harm was reported." Rating forms were requested from both parents to complete the evaluation. Forms were never returned.
Peyton Corwin, PLPC — Letter, March 15, 2024
"Since that time, Adele has not indicated having any questioning or change of her desire to live full-time with her father."
Adele's Academic Decline — LEAP Test Scores
Academic performance declined in every subject during the period of highest conflict. Adele texted Jason: "Dad I think I need help in school like I'm actually gonna cry."
Hearing Officer Vanessa D. Randall — November 20, 2024
Jason designated domiciliary parent. Adele stays with Jason during Melanie's work days. Melanie ordered into Best Moms Program by December 1, 2024. Court noted Adele has consistently expressed to both counselors her desire to reside with her father.
Court-Ordered Evaluation — March 19, 2025
Judge Theall ordered a mini custody evaluation by Dr. Valerie Dugas, LPC. Temporary judgment extended to December 4, 2025 pending completion.