Thank god for that selfie! Otherwise, an innocent Texas man would have faced 99 years in prison for a crime that he never committed. On the morning of September 22, 2017, Cristopher Precopia was at work in Georgetown, U.S.A. When the police showed up at his lumberyard to arrest him for burglary with the intent to commit other crimes, he was shocked. He had no idea about the allegations or the accuser. By the end of that day, all he knew was that he was in jail facing life imprisonment for something, he did not commit. Did You Know the American President Has to Pay for Groceries at White House? Michelle Obama Talks About Paying Bills in Her Book 'Becoming'. 

It was his ex-girlfriend who told the police that he had broken into her home and assaulted her, using a box-cutter to carve an ‘X’ right below her, KVUE reported. In the oral and written statements to police, his accuser mentioned every detail how Precopia had forced his way to her home, pushing her to the ground before punching in her face and ‘slicing her with the box-cutter.’ She said, it was occurred on September 20, 2017, during evening time. She was Precopia’s high school girlfriend. Now, the 21-year-old was reportedly facing a felony charge-burglary of a habitation with the intent to commit other crimes.

Watch the video how selfie saved Precopia from life imprisonment. 

All this time, Precopia had no idea why such things were happening to him. He was taken to the Williamson County Jail. Precopia was quoted in KVUE report as saying, “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.” After spending more than one day in jail, his parents managed loans to submit 150,000 dollars bond and pay for a lawyer to prove that their son was innocent. Philadelphia Couple Made Up Story About Homeless Man & Allegedly Scammed GoFundMe Donors Out of $400,000. 

Hearing about the instance, Precopia’s mother Erin realised to possess a piece of evidence that could save their son. It was a selfie which was taken on September 20, 2017, at the Renaissance Austin Hotel, at the same time when the accuser claimed to have been attacked at Bell County Home, nearly 112 kilometres away. Cellphone towers also helped locate Precopia’s location that day. His lawyer, Flores said, “He was very fortunate that she chose a date and time that he just happened to have a rock-solid alibi for. He and I have talked many times about how lucky he is, whether you believe in a higher power or good old-fashioned luck.”

The charge against Precopia was dropped on June 21, this year after Flores took the evidence to Bell County District Attorney’s Office. The family went through a horrific time and did not plan to begin any civil action against the police department. However, they are exploring a lawsuit against his accuser who was his high school girlfriend. It is a sad incident. While law experts and activists are trying to make the law stronger across the world for both men and women’s safety, cases like this only disappoint us. Precopia credits the family selfie for saving him.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 16, 2018 07:46 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).