'Cheer' star Jerry Harris arrested on child porn charge
CHICAGO - A star from Netflix's "Cheer" series has been charged with one felony count of producing child pornography.
Jerry Harris, of Naperville, Ill., is accused of enticing an underage boy to send him sexually explicit videos and photos, according to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago.
The victim told Harris he was 13 years old during their exchange, the complaint states.
A lawsuit filed Monday in Texas against Harris and three cheer organizations says the victim’s mother reported Harris to the FBI last month.
Lawsuit: ‘Cheer’ star Jerry Harris sexually solicited minors
Twin boys in Texas say that beginning when they were 13, “Cheer” star Jerry Harris sent them sexually explicit photos and videos of himself, and at one point cornered one boy in a bathroom at a cheer competition and begged for oral sex, according to a lawsuit.
The boys’ mother told USA TODAY that both boys have spoken to the FBI. The newspaper reported that law enforcement agents on Monday were at Harris’ home in Naperville, Illinois.
The FBI said in a statement provided to The Associated Press that it had conducted “court-authorized law enforcement activity” in Naperville on Monday, but the FBI said that policy prevented the agency from commenting on “the existence or nonexistence of any investigations that may be occurring.”
According to the complaint, Harris admitted during an interview after FBI agents raided his home Monday that he had asked one of the teens to send him photographs and videos of his penis and buttocks on Snapchat.
Harris, 21, was a breakout star of the Netflix documentary series “Cheer,” which followed the cheerleading team from Navarro College in Corsicana, Texas, as they sought a national title.
Harris appeared for his first court appearing Thursday, where a judge ordered that he remain in custody until at least Monday when he returns to court for a detention hearing.
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The Associated Press and the Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.