FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 4, 2026

HOLMES COUNTY, Fla. – The Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s (FDLE) Missing Persons and Offender Enforcement (MPOE) Division arrested Sebastian Christopher Ballensky, 22, of Pensacola, on numerous felony charges. Ballensky is a registered sexual offender.

Ballensky is charged with two counts of failure to register an internet identifier, three counts of promoting the sexual performance of a child, 10 counts of possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), two counts of use of a computer to seduce, solicit, lure or entice a minor to engage in sexual conduct, and three counts of transmission of materials harmful to minors.

In April, members of the MPOE Division assisted the Florida Department of Corrections (FDC) in an interview with Ballensky to determine whether he had been in compliance with Florida’s registration laws. FDC subsequently located cocaine hidden within Ballensky’s his residence and arrested him for violation of probation. Ballensky was booked into the Escambia County Jail. He was eventually transferred to the Holmes County Jail where his probation sentence had originated.

Further investigation by FDLE MPOE revealed Ballensky had allegedly used unreported Snapchat accounts to communicate with minors, as well as soliciting and sending them explicit content.

On July 28, FDLE obtained an arrest warrant for Ballensky and charged him with the previously mentioned felony offenses. Ballensky was still incarcerated in the Holmes County Jail for the April arrest.

FDLE’s Missing Persons and Offender Enforcement Division partners with sheriff’s offices, police departments and federal law enforcement across Florida to verify compliance with Florida’s registration laws for sex offenders, predators and career offenders.

Please visit the FDLE website to review tips for keeping your children safe online at https://www.secureflorida.org/SF/Family-Safety/BPParents.

Citizens can access Florida’s Sex Offender Registry by downloading the FDLE Mobile App and search the online Florida’s Sex Offender Registry at Sexual Offenders and Predators Search.

For Further Information Contact:

FDLE Office of Public Information

Info@fdle.state.fl.us