21 year old Jerry Harris, who features prominently in the Netflix series Cheer, has been arrested and charged with the production of child pornography. The Cheer star was accused of manipulating an underage boy into sending explicit images and videos. The charges allege that Harris knew the victim was 13 years old at the time.
Harris, who appears on the docuseries as a member of the Navarro College Bulldogs Cheer Team, was arrested on September 17th following previous accusations of sexual misconduct. The interactions between himself and the victim had allegedly been going on since 2018, which a spokesperson mentioned in a statement regarding the allegations, saying, “we categorically dispute the claims made against Jerry Harris, which are alleged to have occurred when he was a teenager.”
The previous allegations had led to a recent FBI raid of Harris’ home in Illinois. Harris denied the accusations at the time, but the evidence appeared to be damning. The Cheer star, who could be facing 15 to 30 years in prison if he is convicted, is set to make his first court appearance on the 21st.
The victim’s mother reportedly knew of Harris’ actions and attempted to report him to the U.S. All Star Federation, who governs the team Harris cheers for as well as other cheerleading teams, but was ignored until reporting him again 2 months later. The allegations also claim that the victim’s twin brother was contacted by Harris, leading to both boys and their mother all filing a lawsuit against the cheerleading star and the companies which manage his team.
These allegations are unfortunate not only for the victims, but for the many young boys in the gay community who looked up to Harris as a role model. It’s difficult enough for LGBT+ children, especially in certain areas of the U.S., so losing any form of trust like this is bound to be a frightening experience. Of course, these are technically still allegations, but it’s important to show potential victims that people are willing to listen to them. In a time where many are still unwilling to believe the stars they adore could be capable of such things, actual victims of abuse are often afraid to come forward for fear of being attacked just for speaking out.
Hopefully the truth is revealed soon and the wronged party receives the justice they deserve. But either way, it seems this particular aspect of the cheerleading world will never be seen the same way again.
Source: Good Morning America
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