Exonerated by selfie in Texas case, man accused of sharing child porn

A man who made international news when a selfie exonerated him of assaulting his ex-girlfriend and carving an “X” on her chest is facing charges in Island County for allegedly disseminating child pornography, according to court documents.

Christopher J. Precopia, 23, is also in trouble with the Navy. He is being discharged in connection with an earlier case in which he transmitted nude photos without the victim’s consent, according to a report by a detective with the Island County Sheriff’s Office.

Prosecutors charged him in Island County Superior Court Sept. 28 with two counts of dealing in depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct in the first degree. If convicted of the charges, Precopia could face from 31 to 41 months in prison under the standard sentencing range.

Precopia posted $15,000 bail and returned to live at the Navy barracks.

In July, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a report from Kik, an online messaging application, that someone in the Oak Harbor area had sent images of child pornography to another user. Through a search warrant, the detective traced the account to Precopia.

The detective wrote that the video files showed girls as young as 5 years old being raped by adult men.

In 2017, Precopia was arrested by police in Texas after an ex-girlfriend reported that he had broken into her house and sliced her chest with a box cutter.

Precopia was actually more than 50 miles away from the woman’s house at a hotel with his family. He had happened to take a selfie with his mother and posted it on social media, providing a solid alibi.

The woman later admitted to making up the story and was charged with lying to police.

The story became viral and was written about by media organizations across the country and even in England. A story in the Washington Post stated that he had tried to enlist in the Army but was turned away because of the case.