Jerry Harris of Netflix’s Cheer has been arrested on a federal child pornography charge, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Harris, 21, was charged with one count of producing child pornography on September 17 after he was accused of “enticing an underage boy to produce sexually explicit videos and photos of himself,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office says. The Chicago Tribune also reports that Harris faces allegations of soliciting sex from a minor.
According to the Tribune, the charge against Harris alleges that he contacted a 13-year-old boy on Snapchat in 2018 and asked for sexually explicit videos. Later, the Tribune reports Harris allegedly asked the boy for sexual encounters on two different occasions at cheerleading competitions. Court documents reportedly include screenshots of the alleged digital messages.
The charge comes days after USA Today reported that a Texas lawsuit alleged Harris sexually harassed two 14-year-old twins starting when they were 13 and he was 19. It’s unclear whether his arrest is related to these specific charges.
A spokesperson for Harris denied the allegations in the Texas lawsuit, according to CNN.
“We categorically dispute the claims made against Jerry Harris, which are alleged to have occurred when he was a teenager,” the spokesperson told CNN. “We are confident that when the investigation is completed the true facts will be revealed.”
Jerry Harris rocketed fame after appearing on Cheer, which followed him and the other cheerleaders at Navarro College in Texas.
Teen Vogue has reached out to representatives for Harris for comment. This story is developing and will be updated with information as it becomes available.
This story originally appeared on Teen Vogue.
