A 51-year-old Seminole (Unincorporated) man who was active in the foster and adoptive parent community was arrested after detectives say they found child sexual abuse material and videos involving sexual activity with animals on his phone.
John Ballard, of Farmington Trail, was arrested Wednesday morning and charged with 20 counts of possession, control, or intentional viewing of child sexual abuse material and five counts of possession of sexual activity involving animals.
Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said the investigation began after the agency received a CyberTip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children on May 12, 2026. The tip involved communications on Kik, an app the sheriff said has been used in other investigations by offenders to exchange child sexual abuse material and discuss sexual abuse.
According to investigators, Ballard communicated with three separate people in late April and early May and described sexual acts involving his son and other young children. Gualtieri said the statements were explicit and included descriptions involving very young children. Some of his statements involved sodomy and baby boys under 1 year of age.
Detectives determined Ballard accessed his Kik account from his cell phone at his home and from Always Gossip Salon, a hair salon he owns at 10525 Park Boulevard in Seminole.
The sheriff said Ballard and his husband, Bradley Borsuk, were licensed foster parents through the state and fostered about 23 boys in their home between 2017 and 2023. They also adopted five boys between 2015 and 2023. Four adopted boys currently live in the home, while one adopted son, now an adult, lives out of state.
The boys ranged in age from 4 to 12 while living with Ballard and Borsuk, according to investigators.
Gualtieri said Ballard and Borsuk had been prominent in the foster- and adoptive-parent community. In 2024, they were featured in a local media story related to Adoption Day in court. They also authored a book for adoptive parents titled Our Journey.
“One thing that’s really maddening about the situation is the fraud that Ballard committed on others by holding himself out as this model foster and adoptive parent,” Gualtieri said. “By his own statements, he was using these kids for his sexual pleasure.”
Detectives served a search warrant on June 3 to seize Ballard’s phone. According to the sheriff, Ballard admitted he had engaged in sexual discussions involving his sons and other children but claimed he did so because it was “safer” for him to do it than 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. Gualtieri said Ballard told detectives, “I’m into some really weird [expletive].”
A forensic analysis of the phone later found that Ballard had accessed websites to download and view graphic child sexual abuse material, according to investigators. Detectives said the material included dozens of images involving children as young as two months old.
Investigators also said Ballard was engaged in graphic discussions with other men about sexual acts involving children while viewing the material.
Most of the foster and adoptive children have been interviewed, according to the sheriff. Some foster children described concerning behavior that remains under investigation, including allegations that Ballard punished them by making them strip naked and stand in front of a window facing the street. Some also reported that Ballard watched them while they showered or took baths.
Gualtieri said investigators have not established probable cause at this time to charge Ballard with additional crimes, but the investigation remains ongoing and additional charges are possible.
Borsuk has not been arrested.
The Florida Department of Children and Families is conducting a parallel child welfare investigation and will determine what will happen with the four adopted children still living in the home.
Ballard was booked into the Pinellas County Jail.