Trial Date Set in Child Pornography Case

An April trial date has been set in Pike County for a northeast Arkansas high school basketball coach who was arrested in December on Computer Child Pornography charges. 31 year old Brandon Ballard of Lake City was formally charged Monday with the Class B felony count. He is scheduled for an April 1st pre-trial hearing….with a trial date currently set for April 25th in Pike County.
Authorities say their investigation began when a juvenile student at Kirby reported to school officials that he had received inappropriate messages from Ballard via Snapchat. Legal documents indicate Ballard first came in contact with the student during a basketball camp last summer in Kirby.

Ballard was arrested in the case during December…and was released on a 15 thousand dollar bond.
He was named the state’s top high school basketball player in 2005…and was serving in his second year as coach of his alma mater, Buffalo Island Central, which is located near Jonesboro.