A Texas man facing 99 years in prison after his former girlfriend filed assault charges on him is free, thanks to a “selfie” photo his mother provided to police. Authorities are now in the process of taking out a warrant for the woman who reportedly made the false report.
ABC reports that Jim Nichols, of the Bell County Attorney’s Office, told authorities with the Temple Police Department to obtain an arrest warrant against Faith Cox, a woman accused of giving a false report to an officer. Cox has not yet been apprehended, but Nichols told the outlet that Cox has already obtained an attorney and is expected to turn herself in.
Cristopher “CJ” Precopia, 21, was arrested on September 22, 2017, after Cox, his ex-girlfriend, contacted police and said that Precopia assaulted her. She claimed he broke into her Temple apartment, punched her in the face, and carved an “X” on her chest with a box cutter. Cristopher, who dated Cox several years ago in high school, said he couldn’t remember the last time he even talked to her.
Precopia was facing numerous felony charges after his arrest that could have ultimately landed him behind bars for 99 years. His mother, Erin Precopia, told CrimeOnline she was determined to help her son, who she said had never had so much as a speeding ticket before police arrested him on bogus charges.
On the night in question, Precopia attended a convention at the Austin Renaissance Hotel. He tried to explain his whereabouts and alibi to police, but without concrete proof, they weren’t going to drop the charges. Erin Precopia attended the convention with her son and happened to take a photo with him, which she shared that same evening on Facebook. Armed with the photo, geolocation, and share date in hand, Erin showed authorities the photo.
Our voices must be heard!This is a movement – men are being targeted and the culture is to automatically believe the…
Posted by Erin Pinkston Precopia on Monday, November 19, 2018
Erin also turned over text messages, witness statements, and polygraphs over to authorities to prove her son’s innocence. After around eight months, the Bell County District Attorney, Henry Garza, decided to drop the charges against CJ. Although Cox is now facing her own charges, Erin told CrimeOnline that while her son was facing felony charges on false accusations, Cox is only facing a Class B misdemeanor charge.
“My son’s civil liberties were violated when he wasn’t afforded a chance to answer these allegations before an arrest was made,” Erin explained. “My son has never been in trouble with the law, not even a speeding ticket, and for the police to handcuff him at work and take him to jail without reading him his rights or telling him what he is being accused of is wrong. The judge told him what he was being accused of as he was setting his bail at $150,000 without telling him who was accusing him or when the alleged event happened.”
Erin also said that although the charges were dropped, the Bell County District Attorney, Henry Garza, refused to expunge her son’s case. CrimeOnline reached out to the DA, but he wasn’t readily available for comment.
“The psychological toll it has taken on him for the past year has been devastating to witness,” Erin continued. “He had to check in with a bail bonds company once a week for 9 months. He had (and still does) to look over his shoulder everywhere he went in fear of this happening again. He had to always make sure he was with someone, or somewhere where people could vouch for his whereabouts.”
Meanwhile, Erin said she plans to pursue additional action against the Temple Police Department and the Bell County District Attorney. She’s also in the process of working to get her son’s record expunged, which she said is “not an easy process” and something the “DA could and should do.”
Check back with CrimeOnline as additional details become available.
[Feature Photo: Cris Precopia/Handout]
