“Cheer” star Jerry Harris will remain in federal custody after calling off a planned detention hearing Monday morning, a few days after his arrest on a child pornography charge.
Harris’ lawyers had said they wanted a detention hearing as soon as possible, and that Harris wanted to attend in person in spite of the coronavirus pandemic. He wound up participating in a brief court hearing Monday by phone.
The feds say Harris, 21, of Naperville, admitted to having anal and oral sex with a 15-year-old at a cheer event last year, trying to persuade another minor to engage in oral sex with him at cheerleading events, soliciting a third minor for sex and seeking and receiving child pornography on Snapchat from 10 to 15 others he knew were underage.
Those admissions were documented in a 28-page criminal complaint that charged Harris last week with production of child pornography. The complaint was unsealed upon his arrest Thursday by the FBI. Harris is being held at the Metropolitan Correctional Center downtown. Prosecutors have said he should stay in custody, calling him a danger to the community.
