CHICAGO (AP) – “Cheer” star Jerry Harris will remain in jail while awaiting trial on child pornography charges, a federal judge in Chicago said Friday.
Attorneys for Harris, who appears in the Netflix documentary series, had asked that he be released and confined at home under strict conditions. But a judge said evidence offered by prosecutors “overwhelmingly supports detention.”
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U.S. Magistrate Judge Heather McShain said it would be “virtually impossible” to ensure Harris doesn’t use the internet.
Harris, 21, of Naperville, was charged in September with producing child pornography.
Harris admitted to FBI agents that he had asked a teenager to send him photos and videos of the boy’s genitals and buttocks via Snapchat, according to a criminal complaint filed by prosecutors.
He also admitted to requesting and receiving photographs of 10 to 15 other children, according to the complaint.
Four women had promised to monitor Harris if he were released from jail. But McShain said Harris would remain locked up.
“Upon learning of the investigation, (Harris) dumped his cellphone, obtained a new cellphone and continued with his same course of conduct,” McShain said. “That reveals behavior that the defendant cannot or is unwilling to control.”
“Cheer” follows the competitive cheerleading team at Navarro College in Corsicana, Texas.