CHICAGO (CBSDFW.COM/AP) — Prosecutors argue Jerry Harris — one of many stars of the Netflix documentary “Cheer” — “displays all of the indicators of a serial little one predator” and will stay jailed. Protection attorneys for the 21-year-old need him launched as he awaits trial on little one pornography prices.
A decide mentioned Wednesday that she’s going to determine quickly about that potential launch.
The problem earlier than U.S. District Choose Heather McShain is whether or not she believes a plan to launch Harris that features around-the-clock monitoring shall be sufficient to forestall him from victimizing younger boys.
Jerry Harris attends the Construct Collection to debate “Cheer” on January 29, 2020 in New York Metropolis. (credit score: Jim Spellman/Getty Photographs)
A movement from Harris’ attorneys filed forward of a court docket listening to argues that the psychological well being therapy that their consumer wants will not be out there in federal jail. The doc additionally mentioned that Harris has bronchial asthma, which places him at higher threat of extreme sickness from COVID-19.
The decide didn’t say when she would problem her ruling, solely that it might be quickly.
On the 90-minute listening to, Todd Pugh, one in every of Harris’ attorneys informed the decide that third-party displays would be certain Harris doesn’t use the units that he allegedly used to coerce younger boys into sending him obscene images. The 4 ladies who would take flip monitoring Harris assured the decide that they’d flip him in if he tried to make use of a cellphone or different digital machine.
A prosecutor argued that it might be inconceivable to forestall Harris from performing on his “legal impulses.” Assistant U.S. Lawyer Christopher Parente famous that after Harris realized he was beneath investigation, he destroyed his cellphone and used one other cellphone to hunt pictures from kids.
“His dangerousness is his skill to entry the web (and) there’s no ankle bracelet for cellphones,” Parente mentioned.
Allegations towards Harris surfaced final month when twin boys who at the moment are 14 years previous filed a lawsuit alleging that he had despatched them sexually express images of himself and cornered one in every of them in a rest room and begged for oral intercourse. Later that week, Harris was arrested and charged with producing little one pornography.
Based on the legal criticism, Harris admitted to FBI brokers that he had requested one of many teenagers to ship him pictures and movies the boy’s genitals and buttocks by way of Snapchat. He additionally admitted to requesting and receiving images of 10 to 15 different kids, in accordance with the criticism.
The “Cheer” docuseries adopted the aggressive cheerleading squad from Navarro School in Corsicana.
(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Related Press contributed to this report.)
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