As Elon Royster graduates his paralegal program, this day is a reminder of where he's going, but also where he's been.

"Just want to help people that went through what I went through, experiencing what I'm experiencing," Royster said. "It's not just about being unjust, experiencing unjust, it's about returning citizens coming home."

Six years ago, Royster was driving in Fairfax County when Officer Jonathan Freitag pulled him over and accused him of having pills and guns in the car. Royster said they weren't his.

A judge later found the officer had lied about the reason for the stop, but not before Royster took a plea deal and spent nearly two years in prison.

"It was rough 'cause I had to watch my son grow up through video visits," he said. "Missed his first steps, first words, riding a bike, birthdays."

The officer claimed Royster's car had crossed the line that night, even though it doesn't appear so from a video.

"The approach I took through it all was just it could be worse, it could be worse," Royster said.

"Just keep pushing on. It could be worse."

Royster says after he got out, he struggled to find a job. One employer even told him they didn't like what they saw when they googled his name, even though he'd already been exonerated.

"People that I knew that were locked up, it was hard finding stable shelter, or education or job opportunities, so they resort back to the same thing that put them in there in the first place." he said.

He eventually found a six-month paralegal program for returning citizens. It's put on by Georgetown Law School as part of the Prisons and Justice Initiative.

"Georgetown was the only one that gave me the opportunity to prove myself," Royster said. "This program right here, that's why I took it so seriously. I took it like a sign of god honestly."

Next up, he hopes to attend law school and go into policy reform work.

"I feel like a new chapter in my life is starting, so taking full advantage of it," Royster said.

Freitag is no longer with the Fairfax County Police Department. The Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney's office previously said it was reviewing about 400 convictions linked to Officer Freitag.

News4 asked about the cases again this week, and they said to throw out a conviction in Virginia, the process has to be initiated by the defense attorney, and many people's defense attorneys were no longer involved in their cases because they'd already been resolved.