Bradley Borsuk, the husband of a Seminole man arrested earlier this year in a child sexual abuse material investigation, was arrested Nov. 5 on a felony charge of lewd or lascivious molestation involving a child under 12.
According to a Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office arrest affidavit, the alleged conduct occurred between September 2021 and March 2022, when the child was placed in the home Borsuk shared with John Ballard. The affidavit alleges the child was called into the men’s bedroom and subjected to sexual contact. It also alleges the child was told not to discuss what was happening in the household. The child’s identity and other identifying details are withheld.
Ballard, 52, was arrested June 17 after detectives said they found child sexual abuse material and videos involving sexual activity with animals on his phone. He was charged with 20 counts of possession, control or intentional viewing of child sexual abuse material and five counts of possession of material depicting sexual activity involving animals.
The investigation began after the sheriff’s office received a CyberTip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children on May 12, 2026. The tip involved communications on Kik, an app Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said had been used in other investigations involving the exchange of child sexual abuse material and discussions of sexual abuse.
Investigators said Ballard communicated with three people in late April and early May and described sexual acts involving his son and other young children. Gualtieri said some of the messages described acts involving very young children, including boys under 1 year old.
Detectives determined that Ballard accessed his Kik account from his home on Farmington Trail in unincorporated Seminole and from Always Gossip Salon, the hair salon he owns at 10525 Park Boulevard in Seminole.
On June 3, detectives served a search warrant and seized Ballard’s phone. The sheriff said Ballard admitted to sexual discussions involving his sons and other children, but claimed he did so because it was “safer” for him than for other people. Gualtieri said investigators did not find that explanation credible.
During a preliminary review of the phone, detectives found videos involving sexual activity with animals. The sheriff said Ballard told detectives, “I’m into some really weird [expletive].” A later forensic analysis found that Ballard had accessed websites to download and view child sexual abuse material, including dozens of images involving children as young as 2 months old. Investigators also said he discussed sexual acts involving children with other men while viewing the material.
Ballard and Borsuk were licensed foster parents and fostered about 23 boys between 2017 and 2023. They adopted five boys between 2015 and 2023. At the time of Ballard’s arrest, four adopted children were living in the home; a fifth, now an adult, lived out of state. The boys ranged in age from 4 to 12 while living with the couple.
The sheriff’s office said most of the foster and adopted children had been interviewed. Some foster children described concerning behavior that remained under investigation, including allegations that Ballard made them strip and stand in front of a window facing the street as punishment, and watched them while they showered or bathed. At the time of Ballard’s arrest, investigators said they had not established probable cause to charge him with additional crimes, but the investigation was continuing.
The Florida Department of Children and Families was also conducting a child-welfare investigation and was expected to determine what would happen with the four adopted children still living in the home.
