Cheer star Jerry Harris pleads guilty in child sex abuse case

He is currently in custody.

Cheer star Jerry Harris has pleaded guilty to federal child sex abuse charges made against him this week. The 22 year old who starred in the Netflix series pleaded guilty to two of seven felony charges made against him, including receiving child sex abuse imagery and soliciting sex from minors. Prosecutors have now agreed to drop the remaining five counts made against Harris under his plea deal. Harris pleaded guilty to offering to pay a 17-year-old to send him sexually explicit images and intent to engage in "illicit sexual conduct" with a 15-year-old when travelling to Florida. Harris was arrested back in September of 2020 on the charge of producing child abuse imagery after a complaint was made by a Texas mother that he had allegedly abused her two sons. After the second season of Cheer came on Netflix, two boys came forward identifying themselves as Harris' victims and described the ordeal they went through with him. After Harris' guilty plea, defence attorney Todd Pugh said in a statement: "Jerry Harris has entered a plea of guilty today because he wishes to take responsibility for his actions and publicly convey his remorse for the harm he has caused the victims in this case. "Jerry is a 22-year-old young man whose story can only be understood through the lens of the extreme poverty, sexual abuse, and neglect of his childhood." He later added: "With his plea of guilty, Jerry will spend the rest of his life making amends for what he has done. "His hope is that he can demonstrate to those harmed by his conduct that he can one day earn back his value to them as a human being and that as he continues to become an adult, he can indeed make a contribution that matters." Harris could spend decades in prison as the charge for possession of child sex abuse imagery carrying anywhere from five to 20 years in prison and an illicit sexual conduct charge carrying a maximum sentence of 30 years. His sentencing is set for June 28th and he will remain in custody until then at a federal detention facility.