Heavy/ABC Monica Aldama's son was arrested.
The son of season 29 “Dancing With the Stars” contestant Monica Aldama was arrested on January 18, 2024.
According to court documents obtained by TMZ, Austin Aldama, 27, was booked in Navarro County, Texas, after a warrant for his arrest was issued. He has been charged with possession of child pornography and the documents indicate that he has been indicted on 10 counts. Austin Aldama’s arraignment date was not made available.
Heavy has attempted to reach out to a rep for Monica Aldama for comment.
Aldama has been a cheerleading coach for many years. She rose to fame on the Netflix show, “Cheer.” She was cast on season 29 of DWTS alongside pro Valentin Chmerkovskiy and the two finished the competition in 10th place.
Austin Aldama’s Instagram account has been deleted, though it’s unclear when he decided to leave the social media platform.
Here’s what you need to know:
Monica Aldama & Her Husband Have 2 Kids Together
GettyGabi Butler, Monica Aldama, Morgan Simianer and Maddy Brum, from the cast of the Netflix documentary “Cheer.”
Monica Aldama and her husband, Chris Aldama, are parents of two children, Austin Aldama and Kristian “Ally” Alexandra Aldama. According to Screenrant, Austin Aldama obtained a degree from Texas Tech University.
In her memoir titled “Full Out,” Monica Aldama shared that she and her husband actually got divorced — and later remarried.
“Having babies can be one of the hardest times of your life. You don’t sleep. You worry. I was working a lot while we were trying to raise these young children. And our marriage suffered,” she wrote, according to Us Weekly. “It can be easy to forget to take care of each other. In 2006, things reached a crisis point: we got a divorce.”
Monica Aldama Made Headlines When ‘Cheer’ Star Jerry Harris Faced Sexual Misconduct Accusations
“Cheer” star Jerry Harris was arrested by the FBI on child pornography charges in late 2020.
Monica Aldama released a statement on her Instagram account following Harris’ arrest.
“My heart is shattered into a million pieces,” she wrote. “I am devastated by this shocking, unexpected news. Our children must be protected from abuse and exploitation, and I am praying hard for the victims and everyone affected. Please respect our privacy as our family Mooren’s during this heartbreaking time.”
Meanwhile, in her book, Aldama said that she felt like she “couldn’t breathe” after seeing the reports about Harris, Us Weekly reported. At the time, Aldama had been competing on “Dancing With the Stars.”
According to Esquire, Harris initially pled not guilty to all of the charges brought against him, but later changed his plea on two of the charges. The judge overseeing the case sentenced him to 12 years in prison.
In April 2023, someone accused Aldama of attempting to keep a sexual assault claim quiet, according to CNN, which she promptly denied.
“As the Navarro Cheer coach, the health and safety of the students I coach is my main concern. I have worked year after year to make sure Navarro Cheer is a safe space for all cheerleaders. We do not condone or cover-up reports of sexual harassment and assault,” she said in a statement to EW at the time.
“As an athletics coach and Navarro College employee, I take all Title IX matters very seriously, especially reports of sexual misconduct. I am a rules follower. I always follow all appropriate procedures regarding reporting and responding to any allegations of misconduct in the Navarro Cheer program,” she added.
The lawsuit was dismissed seven months later.
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