Jerry Harris, the Netflix “Cheer” star awaiting trial in his child pornography case, was denied bond on Wednesday.
There is clear and convincing evidence that the defendant would be a danger to the community if released,” Magistrate Judge Heather K. McShain said during the phone hearing.
McShain, who listened to arguments for and against releasing the 21-year-old, agreed with the federal prosecutors on Friday, ordering Harris to stay behind bars.
Though Harris was a rising star, he was still a “brazen sexual predator,” the prosecutors marked him. He has preyed on at least 10 boys “via social media, as well as one 15-year-old boy that he allegedly raped in an unlocked bathroom at a cheerleading event in 2019,” Buzzfeed News reported.
Harris’s attorney’s labeled him a victim. “Despite ‘Harris being an adult, he ‘was in most respects a child himself interacting with other children,'” his attorneys tried to argue. They also argued that sexual predators were largely exposed to children of all ages at these events and blamed the predatory cheerleading world for Harris’s behavior.
His behavior would remain uncontrollable if released. Buzzfeed News reported, “he admitted to authorities, for example, that after learning he was being investigated, he destroyed his cellphone, bought another, and continued to victimize boys.”
For more than a year, Harris was able to hide his crimes. Despite a clean criminal past, his discreteness was enough for McShian to conclude that he could still not be trusted on the outside though he would not have access to the internet.
McShain added that his “lack of criminal history actually shows how easy it is for this kind of alleged behavior to go undetected,” TMZ noted.
As of now, Harris is only facing “one count of producing child pornography for allegedly soliciting nude photos from one minor,” Buzzfeed News reported. Yet, more potential victims are underway.
Two victims have sued Harris.
Harris is looking at a minimum of 15 years in prison if convicted of the one count.
