Did Treva abandon her children?
“Abandon” has a very specific, legal definition. Treva did not abandon her children. She voluntarily left them with their father, in what she claims is the most stable environment they have ever known. She went on to say that she didn’t take them with her because she wanted to leave them near their doctors and their friends.
However, this second claim is false. I recognized quickly that I might have to move to find a new job or to get help with the kids, so I asked that she waive the right to object to any move I deemed necessary in the initial divorce papers. In other words, she never had any reason to believe that the children would remain in Tuscaloosa.
Why did you make this website?
Ever since Treva posted the defamatory video in October of 2019, I have been pursuing a defamation lawsuit in the State of Alabama, where Treva’s parents and children live and where she actively maintains many personal and professional contacts. In January of 2023, I received the final word that the case could not continue in Alabama, as the judge believed her claims that she had no strong ties to the State of Alabama and refused to consider any evidence to the contrary. Rather than start a new legal battle across state lines that would cause me significant hardship, I created this website to tell the rest of the story that Treva would prefer stay hidden.
If you didn’t abuse her, why does she say you did?
I can only guess. In 2018, in the middle of a child support lawsuit, Treva filed a false police report with the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Department accusing me of marital rape. That accusation delayed our court appearance even further, but I complied fully with the investigation and the case was quickly dropped. Just over a year later, during her campaign for mayor, a citizen of Charlestown purchased a background check that revealed the then-recent child support case. Shortly after he started circulating these documents around, another citizen of Charlestown contacted me to tell me Treva was slandering me with several mutually-exclusive statements. I believe that Treva went back to the abuse accusations for two reasons: To make herself appear to be a victim in the age of #metoo, and to discredit me if anyone else contacted me trying to dig up dirt to make her look bad.
(For what it’s worth, the only thing I would say about the child support case is that we had a disagreement that required the input of a judge, and that she paid on time and in full ever since the conclusion of that case.)
How did you wind up with custody?
We didn’t go to court for the initial divorce. Her lawyer drew up the documents and I signed them. She initially asked for “50/50” custody so that neither side would have to pay child support, but I believed that our children needed more stability than that arrangement would provide. Despite our nearly-identical salaries, she agreed that I was best able to provide that stability.
False accusations are rare
Well, that’s not actually a question, but like the Duke Lacrosse case, Amber Heard, Tara Reade, Christine Blasey Ford, and Jussie Smollett have shown us, not every accusation is true. Did Treva have a motivation to lie? She was being pressured about the child support case and needed a distraction, plus she needed to create an excuse for why I couldn’t be trusted if anyone else started asking questions of me. Her accusation didn’t address the initial issue, though. Why would an abusive ex give her an excuse to not pay child support as directed? And why would she willingly give primary custody to a man she believed to be abusive for most of the marriage? Why even adopt in the first place? (Oh, wait, I’m supposed to be answering the questions, not asking them…)
Why should I believe you instead of her?
I have no motivation to lie. I’m not running for office. I don’t live in southern Indiana, so I’m not worried about being prejudiced against at church or when applying for a job, for instance. I’m not even telling you not to vote for her! I’m just a man who was denied his day in court that wants his side of the story to be heard.
If you like her and think she did a good job for your town, vote for her again. If you believe her claims of “unwavering honesty” however… Well… I used to trust her, too. In fact, the first thing I told the woman who contacted me about Treva’s lies three years ago was, “I have no reason to believe that Ms. Hodges would mention me or my kids at all.”
I harbor no ill will toward Treva. I understand why she can’t (and won’t) tell the truth, and I know that this website isn’t going to make things any easier on me as I’m sure I’ll face all manner of new accusations. But at least I can finally tell my side of the story, and there’s a certain level of peace in that.