The Netflix cheerleading star has to remain in jail until his child pornography trial as his bail request has been denied by a judge following opposition from prosecutors.
- Oct 18, 2020
AceShowbiz - "Cheer" star Jerry Harris has been denied bail and will now stay behind bars until his child pornography trial.
Lawyers for the disgraced cheerleader asked the judge overseeing his case to let him await trial at home, but she has agreed with prosecutors and decided he should remain in custody.
Harris was arrested and taken into custody last month (Sep20) 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. Days later he was charged with producing child pornography and he has been behind bars ever since.
Prosecutors opposed the bail request, insisting Harris could prey on minors if released. U.S. District Judge Heather McShain agreed on Friday (16Oct20), ruling the accused demonstrated uncontrollable behaviour.
Harris' 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.
They also assured the judge that third-party female monitors would ensure the accused pornographer would not have access to devices that he allegedly used to coerce young boys into sending him obscene photographs.
Prosecutors, however, argued it would be impossible to prevent Harris from acting on his "criminal impulses."
Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Parente noted that, after Harris learned he was under investigation, he destroyed his cell phone and used another phone to seek photos from children.
"There's no ankle bracelet for cellphones," he said.
