Selfies get a bad wrap. Some people say they are superficial and encourage narcissism.
They have even been blamed for serious injuries and even deaths.
But no one has better things to say about selfies than Christopher Precopia. A selfie saved his life by preventing him from being sentenced to nearly a century in jail.
Precopia’s story begins on a day like any other where he went to work at a lumber yard in Georgetown, Texas.
At some point during that day, he was accused of a violent assault.
By the end of the day he was in jail looking at a 99-year sentence.
His ex-girlfriend claimed that he forced his way into her home in Temple, punched her in the face, and sliced an “X” into her chest with a box cutter on Sept. 20, 2017, at 7:20 p.m.
Precopia admitted that the two dated several years earlier when he was in high school but said he couldn’t even remember the last time they had contact.
“I had no idea why everything was happening, and I was lost,” he told KVUE.
Precopia was taken to the Williamson County Jail and his parents posted a $105,000 bond.
His parents knew he was innocent because he was with his mother 65 miles from his ex-girlfriend’s house during the alleged attack.
“I’m thinking, ‘this is awesome. By the grace of God, she said it happened on the day when I can say totally, 100 percent, where he was at,” Precopi’s mom Erin Precopia said.
Several people made sworn affidavits saying they were with him that night.
He also had a selfie to prove it. One that was taken at 7:02 p.m.
“Most of the time, we deal with gray matters,” Precopia’s attorney, Rick Flores, said. “It’s not normally black or white. But this is one of those cases where I could definitely prove he did not commit this offense.”
Nine months later police dropped the charges against Precopia “in the interest of justice.
“He was very fortunate that she chose a date and time that he just happened to have a rock-solid alibi for,” Flores said. “He and I have talked many times about how lucky he is, whether you believe in a higher power or good old-fashioned luck.”
Precopia’s accuser said the two had a “troubled” relationship in high school which is the reason she said she reported that he assaulted her.
The Bell County Attorney’s Office will decide if charges against the accused will be made for making a false statement.
She has yet to be charged with a crime.
But despite the charges being dismissed against Precopia, they are still negatively affecting his life. He attempted to enlist in the Army and was denied because of the charges. His parents have also spent about $250,000 in legal fees.
“While [his family] is happy it ended up with a dismissal, and that it will be expunged from his record, the damage is kind of done,” Flores said. “Nothing will ever be completely scrubbed from the Internet.”
Learn more about Precopia’s story in the video below.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
