The once-celebrated cheerleading coach Monica Aldama, known for her role in the Netflix documentary series ‘Cheer,’ is now facing a distressing situation as her son, William Austin Aldama, 27, has been indicted on multiple charges related to child sexual abuse material.
This shocking turn of events adds another layer of legal controversy to the cast of “Cheer,” following the 2022 imprisonment of star Jerry Harris for sex crimes involving minors.
Disturbing Details Emerge from Grand Jury Indictment
William Austin Aldama was arrested in Navarro County, Texas, on Thursday, charged with 10 counts of possession with intent to promote child pornography, a third-degree felony under the state’s penal code.
The indictment accuses him of knowingly accessing videos containing explicit content involving children under 18. The titles of these disturbing videos were explicitly cited as evidence for each individual charge, with some even depicting children as young as two, four, and seven years old.
A grand jury alleged that Aldama accessed these videos around July 22, 2022. Although he was arrested, he was released on personal recognizance bond, set at $20,000 for each count.
Conditions of his release include probation starting on February 1, reporting monthly to the Community Supervision Department, random drug tests, and restrictions on viewing pornographic images.
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Defense Claims Celebrity Exploitation
Aldama, who goes by Austin, received support from his legal team, Heather Barbieri and Kerri Donica, who released a statement claiming the charges lack legal merit and were driven by the shameless exploitation of celebrity connections.
They expressed confidence in proving his innocence during the legal proceedings, denouncing the situation as a witch hunt.
Monica Aldama’s husband, Chris Aldama, listed as Austin’s emergency contact, serves as the director of community supervision and corrections in Navarro County. The Navarro County District Attorney’s office, facing potential conflicts of interest, recused itself from participating in the investigation.
This incident adds to the legal woes of the “Cheer” cast, with Jerry Harris already sentenced to 12 years in federal prison in 2022 for child pornography and illicit sex with minors.
The documentary series, initially acclaimed for its portrayal of competitive cheerleading, is now marred by the dark legal troubles surrounding some of its stars.
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