One of the things that many of us dread is the possibility of being caught up in a lie that would put us in a very unfavorable situation. That is what happened to Christopher Precopia in 2017 when he was arrested.
According to the arrest records, Christopher Precopia had broken into his ex-girlfriend’s home and assaulted her with a box cutter. His girlfriend told the police he had forced his way into the home and assaulted her.
According to those reports, he had used the box cutter to carve an X just below her neck in the attack. If found guilty of the accusations, the young man, who was 21 years old at the time, could face 99 years behind bars.
Something else that was disturbing about the case is that there were not many details given to the young man by the officers when he was arrested. According to statements from the defense attorney, when he questioned what was going on, they would just tell him not to act like he didn’t know.
When he was informed that a warrant was in place for Bell County, he was also confused, even asking where Bell County was. After he finally learned what was going on and the extent of the accusations, he began claiming his innocence.
Things didn’t look good for Precopia but that was about to take a turn. His mother, Erin, had located a piece of evidence that would turn the case around. She discovered a selfie taken at a family gathering 70 miles away from the crime scene at a hotel.
It may not seem like much, but the photo was geo-located and time-stamped. It was the alibi that he needed because it placed him in a different location while the alleged assault was taking place.
His mother said: “This is awesome. By the grace of God it happened on the day when I can totally, 100 percent, where he was.”
If the attack was reported to have taken place on a different day, the family would not have been able to defend his innocence. That selfie provided a compelling defense for the young man, along with the cell phone tower data that also showed his whereabouts.
The defense attorney said: “It’s not normally black and white. But this is one of the cases I could definitely prove he did not commit this offense.”
Precopia was understandably relieved that he was being exonerated and he appreciated the support that his family showed. He said: “I had no idea who accused me of this; I had no idea why everything was happening. I was constantly fearful as to what could happen the next day… I was going to sleep hoping I wouldn’t wake up, just to get away from it.”
His mother also expressed appreciation that she checks in on Facebook on occasion to show people where she is.
The charges were dropped in June 2018 after the evidence was provided to the District Attorney’s Office. It was nine long months that left the family in a very difficult situation, but the pain still continues.
More than $340,000 in legal fees were racked up as a result of the charges and Precopia was rejected from enlisting in the Army because of the charges. In the end, he is ready to reclaim his life.
He said: “I’m ready to actually live my life, the way I want to, without having any kind of worry that this can come back and hurt me.”
