The Netflix cheerleading star has entered a not guilty plea as he remains behind bars after being denied bail following arrest earlier this year for alleged child sex abuse.
- Dec 19, 2020
AceShowbiz - "Cheer" star Jerry Harris has pleaded not guilty to new child sex abuse charges.
The reality star's lawyers entered his plea on Thursday (17Dec20), less than a week after prosecutors unsealed a seven-count indictment, which outlined new allegations suggesting he had exchanged explicit images with minors and lured them to cheerleading competitions, where he allegedly had sex with them.
,p> The 21 year old was previously charged with producing child pornography in September following an FBI raid on his Chicago, Illinois home, and now he's also facing four counts of sexual exploitation of children, one count of enticement, one count of receipt of child pornography, and one count of travel with the intent to engage in illicit sexual contact with a minor.
Harris was originally arrested and taken into custody after twin boys, who are now 14, filed a lawsuit alleging he sent them sexually explicit photographs of himself and begged one of them for oral sex.
At the time of the initial criminal filing, a spokesperson for the Netflix personality denied any wrongdoing.
A statement issued in September read, "We categorically dispute the claims made against Jerry Harris, which are alleged to have occurred when he was a teenager. We are confident that when the investigation is completed the true facts will be revealed."
Harris was denied bail in October and ordered to remain behind bars until trial.
The attorneys cited health issues when seeking jail release for the cheerleading star. They claimed the mental health treatment their 21-year-old client needs was not available in federal jail in Chicago, Illinois, while his asthma put him at risk of severe illness from COVID-19.
