WYLIE (CBSDFW.COM) – Two North Texas men are behind bars accused of being involved with the production of child porn and physically abusing a small dog.

According to Collin County Sheriff’s, while executing a search warrant deputies found images of child pornography and videos of a Dachshund dog being tortured at a house in Wylie.

The pictures and videos lead them to 20 year-old Logan Bridgefarmer and 38 year-old Sean Bartlett.

Logan Bridgefarmer (L) and Sean Bartlett (R). (credit: Collin County Sheriff’s Office)

In a statement Sheriff ​Jim Skinner said, “There’s a special place for anyone that possesses child pornography and would torture an animal like was done here… in Texas we call it the State Penitentiary.”

Bartlett was arrested and charged with Possession of Child Pornography and Cruelty to Non-Livestock Animal. Bridgefarmer is facing a Cruelty to Non-Livestock Animal charge.

Both men are being held in the Collin County Jail.

COLLIN COUNTY, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) — Nineteen suspects have been arrested after the Collin County Sheriff’s Office conducted an operation that targeted those who utilized the internet to prey on children and traffic child pornography.

“Operation Athena” had investigators from 12 different federal, state and local law enforcement agencies participate and arrest 19 suspects July 8 through July 12. Three suspects were charged with online solicitation, and the others charged with possession of child pornography.

Collin County child exploitation bust “Operation Athena” arrests (Credit: Collin County Sheriff’s Office)

Investigators executed numerous search and arrest warrants during the operation and collected a large amount of electronic devices used by the suspects. The found devices will go through forensic examination and additional arrests are expected.

Collin County Sheriff Jim Skinner said that the protection of children is one of his top priorities.

“This type of operation wouldn’t be possible without the cooperation that exists among all federal, state and local law enforcement agencies in North Texas and the investigators who work tirelessly to root out this evil,” Skinner said.

TYLER, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) — A 58-year-old man from Wills Point, Texas has pleaded guilty to child pornography violations in the Eastern District of Texas, U.S. Attorney Joseph D. Brown announced Thursday.

James Joseph Veeser pleaded guilty to receiving child pornography before U.S. Magistrate Judge K. Nicole Mitchell.

According to information presented in court, between January 2016 and January 2019, Veeser received child pornography using the internet and a computer, including three videos containing child pornography.

Veeser’s case was part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.

He faces a minimum of five years and up to 20 years in federal prison.

ARLINGTON (CBSDFW.COM) – An Arlington pastor remained jailed Friday after being arrested days earlier and charged with possession of child pornography.

Police arrested Brett Monroe at his home in southwest Arlington on December 11. Officials say his arrest was part of a coordinated effort by police and the Department of Homeland Security.

(credit: Arlington Police Department)

Because the arrest involves a coordinated effort with a federal agency and deals with child porn, officials are able to give few details on the case.

According to Monroe’s LinkedIn profile and an older version of a church webpage, he was on staff at Heritage Baptist Church in Arlington. All references to the 38-year-old on the church webpage have since been removed.

It has been confirmed that Monroe is a volunteer at Corey Academy of Fine Arts & Dual Language in the Arlington Independent School District.

Friday morning the district issued a statement that said, in part, –

“To date, the district has not received any claims of inappropriate behavior from parents or students related to this individual. We encourage parents to talk to their children and report any suspicious behavior.

Prior to the arrest of the volunteer, the background check was clear.

The Arlington ISD will fully cooperate with the Arlington Police Department and any other law enforcement agencies should they require any information or resources from the district.”

Monroe is being held in the Tarrant County Jail on $15,000 bond.

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – Former Mesquite educator James Earle Cude was sentenced Thursday to 14 years in federal prison for child exploitation.

Cude, 55, who served as band director at area schools in North Texas for more than a decade, pleaded guilty in August 2019 to receipt of child pornography.

According to Mesquite ISD, Cude had worked at North Mesquite High School for less than a year when he was arrested in February.

James Earle Cude

Cude admitted he’d used the instant messaging app Kik to download images and videos of the sexual exploitation of minors, including a video of a young boy being raped by an adult man.

At his sentencing hearing, agents testified Cude used various apps to initiate chats with dozens of underage teens, requesting lewd photos and proposing sexual meetups.

Cude was arrested at a coffee shop, after exchanging explicit messages with an individual he believed was a 13-year-old boy.

Cude’s messages were actually sent to an undercover agent.

He later admitted he’d enticed the boy there for sexual contact.

GRAPEVINE, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) — A Grapevine man who was previously arrested is now jailed on a new charge of child exploitation.

On Sunday, Jan. 26, police arrested 24-year-old Chansellor Hill for exploitation of a child following a federal arrest warrant issued from the Northern District of Texas. However, there are no new victims associated with the most recent arrest.

Chansellor Hill (Grapevine Police Department)

Hill was arrested multiple times in the last year for charges including continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14 and possession of child pornography.

The 24-year-old will be held in the Grapevine jail awaiting federal arraignment. He continues to face charges in Tarrant County for the previous arrests.

ALLEN, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) – Allen Police believe there may be multiple victims of a suspect they arrested for child pornography possession.

Police said a cyber tip led to the arrest of Stephen Dennis DePaula, 56, on Thursday, January 16.

The investigation revealed many years of hidden camera footage from his residence, police said.

Stephen Dennis DePaula (Allen Police Department)

DePaula has history from years ago as a youth ministry worker and a soccer coach in the Allen area.

Police are not yet clear what specific church or soccer organization he worked with.

Police said there are multiple computers in DePaula’s home and investigators found images that appear to have been taken with a hidden camera inside his home.

They show people bathing and using the restroom.

Some images could be up to 30 years old, police said.

Anyone who has information or remembers being in this residence as a possible victim, is urged to contact Allen Investigator Carolyn Crawford at ccrawford@cityofallen.org or (972) 633-6778.

To send an anonymous tip via text message to the Allen Police Department, text the keyword ALLENPD and your tip to 847411 (TIP/411).

SHERMAN, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) – A North Texas man was sentenced for child pornography violations in federal court on Friday.

Richard Denver Belden, 41, pleaded guilty last June to receipt and possession of child pornography and was sentenced to 35 years in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Amos Mazzant.

Richard Denver Belden (Collin Co. Sheriff’s Office)

According to information presented in court, in May 2018, a Plano Police detective was conducting an undercover investigation into Internet programs know for trading child pornography and located a user, later identified as Belden, who was making a large quantity of child pornography available for download.

Over the course of two days, the detective downloaded over 4,000 images and videos of child pornography from Belden.

Members of the Collin County Sheriff’s Office obtained a search warrant for Belden’s apartment, in Allen, Texas and on May 15, 2018, the Sheriff’s Office and Plano Police Department executed the search warrant.

Upon entering the residence, they discovered Belden actively downloading and distributing child pornography on a laptop computer. In addition to the laptop, Belden owned a tower containing 15 hard drives, totaling 57 TB of storage.

The Plano Police Department and FBI child exploitation task force spent months forensically analyzing Belden’s digital media. Officers located thousands of images and videos of child pornography, including depictions of children as young as toddlers and depictions of sadistic or masochistic abuse. Belden was indicted by a federal grand jury in June 2018.

During the sentencing hearing, a Plano Police Department Detective testified about the undercover investigation, the forensic review of Belden’s devices, and the content of those devices. Belden’s sentencing guidelines included a term of imprisonment of 210 to 262 months. The government requested that the Judge vary upward and impose a sentence of 420 months. Based on Belden’s history and characteristics and the nature and circumstances of his offense, Judge Mazzant granted the government’s motion and sentenced Belden to a total term of 420 months (35 years) imprisonment, to be followed by 20 years of supervised release.

“These type of cases show the real depravity of parts of our society,” said U.S. Attorney Joseph D. Brown. “We are fortunate that law enforcement is out there looking for these people.”

“Today’s result is the product of the outstanding collaboration between the FBI and its local partners,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Matthew J. DeSarno. “The FBI, through the North Texas Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, will continue to work tirelessly to keep our kids safe. This lengthy sentence will hopefully serve as a warning for all those who would seek to prey on the most vulnerable among us.”

ROCKWALL, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) — A 52-year-old city councilman from Rockwall has been arrested after sending child pornography through a messaging app.

On Apr. 13, the Center for Missing and Exploited Children sent a tip to the Rockwall Police Department regarding multiple videos of possible child pornography being sent from an IP address in the city.

Detectives investigated the tip and found probable cause to believe that multiple videos of child pornography had been sent through the messaging app “KIK” from 52-year-old Patrick Allen Trowbridge’s IP address in the 600 block of Parks Avenue.

Patrick Allen Trowbridge (Rockwall Sheriff’s Office)

A little over a week later on Apr. 23, detectives obtained and executed a search warrant for Trowbridge’s residence and found images of child pornography on a smart phone belonging to him.

The councilman was arrested and taken to the Rockwall County Jail where he faces charges of possession or promotion of child pornography.

Trowbridge was elected to the Rockwall City Council in 2018 and his wife is currently employed as a PE coach at Hartman Elementary School.

However, police say they do not believe any of the victims live in Rockwall.

This remains an ongoing investigation.

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – A man from Water Valley, Texas, northwest of San Angelo, was sentenced Tuesday to serve 60 years in prison for producing hundreds of videos and images of himself sexually abusing a child.

Douglas Stephen Groover, 37, was sentenced after pleading guilty in February 2020 to two counts of production of child pornography.

Douglas Groover (credit: Tom Green County Sheriff’s Office)

The sentence also included a lifetime term of supervised release and a restitution award of $53,000.

According to court documents, in addition to the hundreds of videos and images he created of himself sexually abusing a minor, he also admitted to sexually abusing at least two additional minors.

Groover also admitted to maintaining a large collection of child pornography, which included depictions of the sexual abuse of infants and toddlers, sadism and bestiality.

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) — A 35-year-old senior corporal with the Dallas Police Department’s Auto Theft Unit has been charged with uploading sexually explicit images of children using the City of Dallas’ employee internet.

After being arrested by officials with Homeland Security, Daniel Lee Collins was charged with one count of transportation of child pornography.

It was a Dallas IT specialist who traced the IP addresses used for the uploads to the City of Dallas internet network. According to court documents, Collins allegedly used the network to uploaded sexually explicit photos of prepubescent girls to his various Google accounts.

Google flagged the images to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and filed a report with the Dallas Police Department. In that report, they detailed how one of the profiles included a photo of a man in a police uniform. It was later determined that person was Collins.

“Law enforcement officers take an oath to protect and serve,” said U.S. Attorney Erin Nealy Cox. “This defendant allegedly undermined that vow, preying upon our most vulnerable.”

In an interview with federal agents, Collins allegedly admitted to accessing the accounts and saving child pornography.

Collins has been placed on administrative leave by the police department pending the results of an internal investigation. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in federal prison.

SHERMAN, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) – A Denison pastor has been arrested for child pornography violations, U.S. Attorney Stephen J. Cox said Friday.

David Pettigrew, 48, was arrested Thursday for allegedly transporting child pornography.

The Denison Church of the Nazarene website says he’s been the pastor there since 2006.

He is married to a teacher and they have three children, according to his biography on the church website.

David Pettigrew (credit: Denison Church of the Nazarene)

According to court documents, Pettigrew came to the attention of law enforcement officials through referrals sent by two electronic surveillance providers and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Those referrals identified a computer user who uploaded suspected child pornography onto their online platforms.

Homeland Security Investigations agents executed federal search warrants at Pettigrew’s home and the Denison Church of the Nazarene on Thursday, after which, agents arrested Pettigrew.

If convicted, Pettigrew faces a minimum of five years and up to 20 years in federal prison.

Any members of the public with information about this case or possible victims can contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office at 1-800-804-3547 or their local law enforcement.

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) — A former officer with the Dallas Police Department has pleaded guilty to possessing sexually explicit images of little girls.

According to the office of U.S. Attorney Erin Nealy Cox, Daniel Lee Collins, a former senior corporal, pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography Friday morning.

Court papers show Collins admitted using his Google email account to access child pornography in the spring 2020. The 35 year old allegedly further admitted he knew the images depicted actual minors, including a nude prepubescent female, and portrayed “sadistic or masochistic conduct.”

In addition to obtaining the pornography, Collins also admitted to knowingly a file containing sexually explicit images of a child.

Documents detail how Collins used the City of Dallas internet to uploaded some of the sexually explicit photos. Google flagged the images to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and filed a report with the Dallas Police Department.

Collins, who resigned from the Dallas Police Department earlier this week, faces up to 20 years in federal prison. His sentencing hearing has been scheduled for January of 2021.

PLANO, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) – Former Denison Church of the Nazarene pastor David Pettigrew, 48, was indicted for child pornography violations.

Another man, Chad Michael Rider, 46, of Anna, was also charged with child exploitation crimes in an indictment returned by a grand jury in the Eastern District of Texas.

Pettigrew was additionally charged with transporting child pornography.

He came to the attention of law enforcement officials through referrals sent by two electronic surveillance providers and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Those referrals identified a computer user who uploaded suspected child pornography onto their online platforms.

The investigation also revealed that a number of children were surreptitiously photographed in private locations or outside of the presence of their parents. Any members of the public with information about this case or possible victims are urged to contact Homeland Security Investigations at HSIDallasVictimInfo@ice.dhs.gov. Members of the community are urged to send a detailed message (including contact information) with information about any possible private interactions with Pettigrew or Rider to the email above.

David Pettigrew was the pastor at Denison Church of the Nazarene. (courtesy: Youtube)

Pettigrew started working as a pastor at the church in 2006. He has three children.

On August 6, 2020, Homeland Security Investigations agents executed federal search warrants at Pettigrew’s residence and the Denison Church of the Nazarene, after which, agents arrested Pettigrew. Agents executed a search warrant at Rider’s residence on August 21, 2020.

If convicted, Pettigrew and Rider face a minimum of 15 years and up to 30 years in federal prison.

Both men have entered “not guilty” pleas to the charges.

PLANO, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) – A Plano 18-year-old has been arrested for allegedly trafficking in child pornography.

Collin County Sheriffs Office Child Exploitation Unit investigators arrested Zize Wu on Monday for possession of child pornography and possession with intent to promote child pornography.

Zize Wu (Collin Co. Sheriff’s Office)

Investigators working undercover identified Wu as utilizing the internet to traffic in child pornography.

Investigators obtained and executed a search warrant at the suspect’s home in Plano.

Evidence recovered at the scene includes more than 2,200 child pornography images from a single computer.

Additional devices were located and seized for forensic examination.

Wu is being held in the Collin County Detention Facility.

WASHINGTON (CBSDFW.COM) – U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) has asked the Justice Department to look into whether Netflix and the makers of the film “Cuties” violated federal laws against child pornography.

Cruz sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr, calling for a criminal investigation of the film. He accuses the film of sexualizing pre-adolescent girls.

The French film was released in the U.S. on Netflix earlier this week. A description for the film on the streaming service reads: “Eleven-year-old Amy starts to rebel against her conservative family’s traditions when she becomes fascinated with a free-spirited dance crew.”

In his letter, Cruz said:

“The film routinely fetishizes and sexualizes these pre-adolescent girls as they perform dances simulating sexual conduct in revealing clothing, including at least one scene with partial child nudity. These scenes in and of themselves are harmful. And it is likely that the filming of this movie created even more explicit and abusive scenes, and that pedophiles across the world in the future will manipulate and imitate this film in abusive ways.”

The senator concludes the letter by saying:

“I urge the Department to investigate the production of ‘Cuties’ and Netflix’s distribution of the film in order to determine whether Netflix, any of its executives, or anyone involved with the making of ‘Cuties’ violated any federal laws against the production and distribution of child pornography.”

State Rep. Matt Schaefer (R-Texas) tweeted earlier this week that he asked Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to also investigate the film for “possible violations of child exploitation and child pornography laws.”

Cruz’s entire letter can be read here.

BEAUMONT, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) – A 23-year-old Joaquin, Texas man has been sentenced for child exploitation violations in the Eastern District of Texas.

Alexander Nathan Barter pleaded guilty last December to attempted coercion and enticement of a minor and distribution of child pornography.

Alexander Nathan Barter (credit: Shelby County Jail)

Following the completion of his prison sentence, Barter was also ordered to submit to a lifetime of supervised release.

As part of his plea agreement with the government, Barter agreed to be sentenced to a term of imprisonment of 20 years on each count, with each party reserving the right to request that the terms be sentenced concurrently or consecutively.

Barter’s counsel requested that the Court impose a total term of imprisonment of 20 years. The government requested a sentence of 40 years imprisonment.

According to information introduced as part of Barter’s plea and at sentencing, in October 2018, Barter posted an ad on a dark web site stating, “I’d like to try necrophilia and cannibalism, and see how it feels to take a life. If you’d be willing to let me kill you, are in the US (preferably in the south) and can travel by car, contact me.”

An undercover officer saw the ad and responded, utilizing the persona of a father with a 13-year-old daughter. Between October 9, 2018 and October 19, 2018, Barter and the undercover officer exchanged a series of messages that included Barter’s repeated interest in raping, killing, and eating the 13-year-old child.

Barter provided the undercover with instructions on traveling from Florida to Shelby County, Texas, what to tell the child to get her acquiescence to travel, and how to conceal evidence of their crime.

On October 19, 2018, Barter arrived at the designated meet site in Joaquin, Texas with a knife, trash bag, cellular phone and a tablet.

“As this chilling case demonstrates, online talk is not always just talk. The constant vigilance of our law enforcement partners has prevented an evildoer from finding a likeminded accomplice and bringing his grisly plan to fruition,” said U.S. Attorney Stephen J. Cox. “This case is a sobering reminder of how the brave men and women of law enforcement face down the worst of the worst in the scariest of scenarios.”

“In my 23-year-career in law enforcement, this is among the most morally depraved and appalling criminal conspiracies that I have come across,” said Mark Dawson, special agent in charge of HSI Houston. “Without the quick and decisive actions of special agents from HSI Cocoa Beach and HSI Beaumont this disturbed predator would still be out there looking for potential victims to carry out his sick and demented fantasies.”

CHICAGO (CBSDFW.COM) – The FBI’s Chicago Field Office, announced on Tuesday the creation of a Seeking Victim Information webpage related to the investigation of Jeremiah “Jerry” Harris.

The FBI arrested Harris, 21, last Thursday September 17 on a federal child pornography charge for allegedly enticing an underage boy to produce and transmit sexually explicit videos and photos of himself.

Harris was featured in the Netflix hit, “Cheer” which followed the cheerleading team from Navarro College in Corsicana, of which Harris was a member, as they sought a national title.

Jerry Harris attends the Build Series to discuss “Cheer” at Build Studio on January 29, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Jim Spellman/Getty Images)

It was an instant success when it was released in January, and Harris drew fans for his upbeat attitude and his encouraging “mat talk.” Earlier this year, he interviewed A-list celebrities on the Oscar’s red carpet for “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.”

The FBI is seeking the public’s help in identifying additional potential victims, specifically victims who were under the age of 18 when Harris asked them to produce or view sexually graphic images or engage in sexual contact.

Contact may have occurred in person or through the following social media accounts:

SnapChat username “jerry_714”

Instagram username __jcoleofficial

Or any other account believed to be used by Jeremiah “Jerry” Harris

Harris was also sued in Texas by twin teenagers who accused him of “sexual harassment, exploitation, manipulation, intimidation and sexual abuse.”

USA TODAY, which first reported the allegations, said multiple sources told the newspaper that the FBI was investigating accusations that Harris solicited sexually explicit photos and sex from minors.

In addition to accusing Harris of sexual misconduct, the lawsuit accuses cheer organizations of failing to protect the boys.

The organizations named in the lawsuit are U.S. All Star Federation, which governs competitive cheerleading; Varsity Spirit, which puts on competitions; and the Cheer Athletics, a chain of gyms.

Victims can report contact with Harris to the FBI and find additional victim resources here.

They can also call the Chicago Field Office at (312) 421-6700.

TYLER, TX (CBSDFW.COM/AP) –The District Court in Tyler County in North Texas has indicted Netflix for Promotion of ‘Lewd Visual Material Depicting A Child’ after the streaming platform made the program Cuties available online in September.

According to a court filing the State Of Texas accused the company of promoting “visual material which depicts the lewd exhibition of the genitals or pubic area of a clothed or partially clothed child who was younger than 18 years of age at the time the visual material was created, which appeals to the prurient interest in sex and has no serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.”

Texas Representative Matt Schaefer (Rep – Tx House Dist. 6) tweeted the indictment on Tuesday, October 6.

The backlash to the French independent film started before it had even been released because of a poster that went viral for its provocative depiction of its young female actors. But the spotlight has only intensified since the film became available on Netflix.

The film was released in the U.S. on Netflix in September. A description for the film on the streaming service reads: “Eleven-year-old Amy starts to rebel against her conservative family’s traditions when she becomes fascinated with a free-spirited dance crew.”

Netflix, Inc. indicted by grand jury in Tyler Co., Tx for promoting material in Cuties film which depicts lewd exhibition of pubic area of a clothed or partially clothed child who was younger than 18 yrs of age which appeals to the prurient interest in sex #Cuties #txlege pic.twitter.com/UJ1hY8XJ2l

— Matt Schaefer (@RepMattSchaefer) October 6, 2020

The film has also become the target of heightened outrage from members of Congress.

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) asked the Justice Department last month to look into whether Netflix and the makers of the film “Cuties” violated federal laws against child pornography.

Cruz sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr, calling for a criminal investigation of the film. He accused the film of sexualizing pre-adolescent girls.

In his letter, Cruz said:

“The film routinely fetishizes and sexualizes these pre-adolescent girls as they perform dances simulating sexual conduct in revealing clothing, including at least one scene with partial child nudity. These scenes in and of themselves are harmful. And it is likely that the filming of this movie created even more explicit and abusive scenes, and that pedophiles across the world in the future will manipulate and imitate this film in abusive ways.”

The senator concludes the letter by saying:

“I urge the Department to investigate the production of ‘Cuties’ and Netflix’s distribution of the film in order to determine whether Netflix, any of its executives, or anyone involved with the making of ‘Cuties’ violated any federal laws against the production and distribution of child pornography.”

.@netflix’s ‘Cuties’ sexualizes 11-year-old girls, and it’s disgusting and wrong. That’s why I’ve asked AG Barr to investigate whether Netflix, its executives, or the filmmakers violated any federal laws against the production and distribution of child pornography. pic.twitter.com/OuhE6ifmGi

— Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz) September 13, 2020

State Rep. Matt Schaefer (R-Texas) tweeted earlier this week that he asked Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to also investigate the film for “possible violations of child exploitation and child pornography laws.”

Cruz’s entire letter can be read here.

Netflix defended the film in September, saying it is a social commentary and does not glorify or promote child pornography according to CBSLA.com.

“‘Cuties’ is a social commentary against the sexualization of young children,” a Netflix spokesperson said in a statement, according to Variety. “It’s an award-winning film and a powerful story about the pressure young girls face on social media and from society more generally growing up — and we’d encourage anyone who cares about these important issues to watch the movie.”

The film’s director Maïmouna Doucouré told the the online publication Zora, “With this film, I wanted to give these young children a voice while protecting them. I also wanted to create a mirror for adults to look at ourselves and see where we have gone wrong with this problem.” Before the film’s release, Doucouré told Zora, “I’m eager to see their reaction when they realize that we’re both on the same side of this fight against young children’s hypersexualization.”

(© Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

UPDATE: Judge Says Evidence ‘Overwhelmingly Supports Detention’ Of ‘Cheer’ Star Jerry Harris While Awaiting Trial On Child Porn Charges

CHICAGO (CBSDFW.COM/AP) — Prosecutors argue Jerry Harris — one of the stars of the Netflix documentary “Cheer” — “exhibits all the signs of a serial child predator” and should remain jailed. Defense attorneys for the 21-year-old want him released as he awaits trial on child pornography charges.

A judge said Wednesday that she will decide soon about that potential release.

The issue before U.S. District Judge Heather McShain is whether she believes a plan to release Harris that includes around-the-clock monitoring will be enough to prevent him from victimizing young boys.

Jerry Harris attends the Build Series to discuss “Cheer” on January 29, 2020 in New York City. (credit: Jim Spellman/Getty Images)

A motion from Harris’ attorneys filed ahead of a court hearing argues that the mental health treatment that their client needs is not available in federal jail. The document also said that Harris has asthma, which puts him at greater risk of severe illness from COVID-19.

The judge did not say when she would issue her ruling, only that it would be soon.

At the 90-minute hearing, Todd Pugh, one of Harris’ attorneys told the judge that third-party monitors would make sure Harris doesn’t use the devices that he allegedly used to coerce young boys into sending him obscene photographs. The four women who would take turn monitoring Harris assured the judge that they would turn him in if he tried to use a cellphone or other electronic device.

A prosecutor argued that it would be impossible to prevent Harris from acting on his “criminal impulses.” Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Parente noted that after Harris learned he was under investigation, he destroyed his cellphone and used another phone to seek photos from children.

“His dangerousness is his ability to access the internet (and) there’s no ankle bracelet for cellphones,” Parente said.

Allegations against Harris surfaced last month when twin boys who are now 14 years old filed a lawsuit alleging that he had sent them sexually explicit photographs of himself and cornered one of them in a bathroom and begged for oral sex. Later that week, Harris was arrested and charged with producing child pornography.

According to the criminal complaint, Harris admitted to FBI agents that he had asked one of the teens to send him photos and videos the boy’s genitals and buttocks via Snapchat. He also admitted to requesting and receiving photographs of 10 to 15 other children, according to the complaint.

The “Cheer” docuseries followed the competitive cheerleading squad from Navarro College in Corsicana.

(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)