'Cheer' Star Monica Aldama's Son Charged With Child Porn, 2 Years After Jerry Harris Was Sentenced
"Cheer" star Monica Aldama's son Austin Aldama has been arrested on child pornography charges.
On Thursday, Austin, 27, was booked in Navarro County, Texas, and charged with multiple counts of possession or intent to promote child pornography, People reported, citing the Navarro County Sheriff's Department.
An open warrant for his arrest, cited by TMZ, references a grand jury indictment against him with 10 counts of possession of child pornography.
According to legal documents obtained by the outlet, prosecutors said Austin allegedly had several video files of children under the age of 10 engaging in sexual acts.
Austin posted bond on the day of his arrest, securing his release under specific conditions. These include random drug testing, voluntary searches of his electronic devices, and a prohibition on accessing pornographic images.
In a statement to Page Six Monday, Austin's lawyers said their client is innocent, claiming the charges "lack legal merit."
"We are confident that the facts, which will prove his innocence, will come to light during the legal proceedings," they added.
His lawyers also criticized the "media scrutiny" surrounding Austin's case, describing it as a "witch hunt."
"Criminal allegations, and knee-jerk reactions to them, can have detrimental consequences to the lives involved, and we call on the media and the public to refrain from premature judgments while respecting the privacy of Austin and his family," the attorneys told the outlet.
Monica has yet to publicly address her son's arrest. She last posted on social media Sunday evening but did not mention Austin, according to People.
Austin's arrest comes two years after "Cheer" star Jerry Harris received a 12-year prison sentence in 2022 for coercing underage boys into sending him explicit photos and soliciting sex from minors.
Harris, who was a member of the Navarro College cheerleading squad, was also required to pay $35,000 to the AVAA crime victims fund and undergo court-supervised release after imprisonment.
At the time of Harris' arrest in 2020, his cheerleading coach, Monica, released a statement saying she was "shattered" by the allegations against him.
"Our children must be protected from abuse and exploitation, and I'm praying hard for the victims and everyone affected," she said, according to TMZ.
She later said during a 2022 appearance on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" that she was "heartbroken" as a parent.
"As a parent, I was heartbroken for those affected and, you know, it was definitely one of the major challenges that we faced, just keeping ourselves in a good state of mind, mentally to get through that," Monica said.
In a December 2023 Instagram post, Monica officially announced her retirement from Navarro College and its cheer program, where she worked for almost three decades.