Son of 'Cheer' star Monica Aldama charged with possessing child sex abuse images

The son of “Cheer” star Monica Aldama has been arrested in Texas on charges of possessing child sex abuse images, according to court records and his representatives.

William Austin Aldama, 27, who appeared only briefly in the Netflix documentary, which focused on his mother and the team she coached, is charged with 10 counts that were filed last week, Navarro County court records show.

An indictment filed Jan. 17 in Navarro County lists several digital video files and alleges that some of the children were as young as 2 years old.

Court records show 10 counts of possession with intent to promote child pornography, a third-degree felony, listed, along with a date in July 2022.

Austin Aldama’s attorneys, Heather Barbieri and Kerri Donica, said he is innocent.

“In response to the recent media scrutiny surrounding our client, Austin Aldama, we want to set the record straight. The attention drawn to this case, fueled solely by the celebrity status of his mother, is an egregious attempt to distort the truth,” they said in a statement.

“Let us be absolutely clear — Austin is innocent. The charges against him lack legal merit, and we are confident that the facts, which will prove his innocence, will come to light during the legal proceedings.”

TMZ first reported details of the indictment.

"Cheer" was a Netflix documentary about Monica Aldama as coach of Navarro College’s competitive cheer squad.

Austin Aldama appeared in two episodes as himself during the show, which ran two seasons, according to the website IMDb.

He is free on bond. His conditions state that he must submit to random drug testing, pay a monthly $60 reporting fee, and submit to voluntary searches of his cellphone and computer, court documents state. Aldama is also "prohibited from viewing pornographic images by any means including through the use of the internet," the documents state.

The Texas Attorney General's Office and the Navarro County Sheriff's Office could not immediately be reached on Wednesday.

Another person on the show, breakout star Jerry Harris, was also charged in connection with a case involving child sexual abuse images.

Harris, 24, was sentenced in July 2022 to 12 years in federal prison. Prosecutors said the illegal acts involved victims in Texas, Florida and Illinois.

In February 2022, Harris pleaded guilty to a count of receipt of child pornography and a count of traveling with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct.

That case involved sexually explicit photographs and videos that Harris repeatedly requested from a 17-year-old boy, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Chicago has said. Harris also requested and received images from two other minor boys and tried to entice one of them into sexual activity, the office said.

Barbieri and Donica, Austin Aldama's attorneys, called on the public to refrain from premature judgments in the case.

"We will remain committed to seeking justice for Austin, and we will not be swayed by the sensationalism surrounding this case," they said.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com