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'Cheer' star Jerry Harris arrested on child pornography charge

Cheer star Jerry Harris was arrested and charged with allegedly producing child pornography, the U.S. Attorney’s office announced on Thursday.

The cheerleader, a fan favourite from the Netflix docuseries, is accused of allegedly soliciting explicit images from a minor.

Jerry Harris attends the Build Series to discuss "Cheer" at Build Studio on January 29, 2020 in New York City.
Jerry Harris has been arrested on a child pornography charge. Photo: Getty Images

Harris made an initial court appearance on Thursday which lasted about 10 minutes. If convicted, he faces up to 30 years in prison.

According to the Chicago Tribune, he will be held in federal custody until Monday’s detention hearing.

In court records, reportedly viewed by USA Today, Harris is accused of allegedly soliciting and receiving explicit messages from "at least between 10 to 15 other individuals he knew were minors".

Yahoo Entertainment reached out to Harris’s representative for comment on Thursday, but did not immediately receive a response.

With over 1.2 million followers on Instagram, Harris was arguably the biggest breakout star of Cheer.

Season 1, which premiered in January, followed the Navarro College cheering squad’s quest to win another national title.

Harris became a fan favourite due to his “mat talk” and overall positive attitude.

It landed him a gig with The Ellen DeGeneres Show as he was the red carpet correspondent at the 2020 Oscars.

Reporting by Taryn Ryder

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