The son of Monica Aldama, the retired Texas cheering coach who rose to fame after appearing on the Netflix documentary series "Cheer," has been arrested and charged with possessing child sex abuse images.
William Austin Aldama, 27, from Dallas, was arrested Thursday in Navarro County, Texas, and now faces 10 counts of possession with intent to promote child pornography, according to Navarro County court filings.
Investigators allege Austin Aldama was found possessing around 10 digital video files that contained graphic images of children as young as 2 years old being abused, according to an indictment filed on Jan. 17 in Navarro County.
In a statement to NBC News, Austin Aldama’s attorneys, Heather Barbieri and Kerri Donica called the charges a "witch hunt" and reiterated his innocence.
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"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," the statement read.
Possession with intent to promote child pornography is a third-degree felony in Texas and can carry a prison sentence of up to 10 years.
Austin Aldama was released on bond but his release conditions state 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.
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As part of his release Austin Aldama was also "prohibited from viewing pornographic images by any means including through the use of the internet," documents show.
Austin Aldama's mother, Monica Aldama was Navarro College's cheerleading coach, which was featured in Netflix's "Cheer" docuseries. Austin Aldama appeared in two episodes of the show's two-season long run.
