‘Cheer’ Star Jerry Harris Pleads Guilty To Sex Crimes
Cheer star Jerry Harris has pleaded guilty on on a federal child pornography case.
According to TMZ, after being investigated by the FBI for allegedly soliciting minors for sex back in May 2019, Harris was arrested in September 2020. In December 2020, the 22-year-old was indicted on charges alleging misconduct in Illinois, Florida and Texas. Harris was also accused of trying to persuade a minor to engage in oral sex at cheerleading events, as well as solicited another for sex. He reportedly admitted to having five to 10 victims in all.
Harris’ alleged victims reportedly gave authorities screenshots of exchanges with him on social media and text messages. Two of the alleged victims have filed a civil lawsuit.
Harris was ultimately charged with producing child pornography. He's still dealing with a civil lawsuit from the two alleged victims.
Harris’s lawyers said in a statement that he wanted to “take responsibility for his actions and publicly convey his remorse for the harm he has caused the victims.”
The Netflix docuseries Cheer followed a competitive cheerleading squad from Navarro College in Corsicana, Texas. Harris was the breakout star.
Harris is currently being held at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago, where he has been since the September 2020 arrest.