'Cheer' Star Jerry Harris Changes His Plea in Sex Crimes Case
Cheer alum Jerry Harris changed his original plea to not guilty on one count each of receiving child pornography and engaging in sexual acts with a minor during his hearing in Chicago on Thursday. Harris took a plea agreement with the government to two of the charges as opposed to the original seven counts he was charged with in December. The indictment states Harris traveled across states to meet up with a 15-year-old boy, with whom he committed the sexual acts.
According to CNN, Assistant State's Attorney Kelly Guzman claimed in court that the reality TV star "knowingly received and intended to receive child pornography" over the internet beginning around July 2020. Guzman alleges Harris went from Dallas, Texas to Orlando, Florida on May 2, 2019, where he met with the minor in a public bathroom and sexually assaulted him.
If convicted, Harris could face up to a maximum of 30 years in prison for one of the charges. U.S. Judge Manish Shah scheduled Harris' sentencing hearing for June 28. He'll remain in federal custody in Chicago until the sentencing. The remaining charges will be dropped after the hearing.
Harris quickly rose to fame in the first season of Netflix's Cheer as he performed with prominent Navarro cheer coach Monica Aldama, but he was absent for Season 2 due to the scandal. The team addressed the charges on the series in a dark episode titled "Jerry." "It was tough to watch," Aldama said of watching the episode after it premiered. "But, you know, having the victims be able to talk and tell their story is very important for our industry… As tough as it is to talk about, here it's necessary in order for us to make our industry safer."
"It's just a very difficult situation," she continued. While the coach's fame and numerous championship trophies propelled her to further fame, Trinity Valley Coach previously told PopCulture.com that he wasn't too informed about Aldama's background before the show aired. "I didn't know much of her because I hadn't seen the show," Coach Vontae Johnson said. "I hadn't seen the first season, so I didn't really get to understand who she was as a coach. "But I'm always going to have a tremendous amount of respect for her because of what she's done with that program.
"One of the biggest reasons obviously, I wanted to coach was because I wanted to be able to beat her because how great she was and how successful she was. But no, even after obviously seeing Season 2, I still just don't know much about her," he said.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, you can contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.