Former Boston Red Sox pitcher Austin Dean Maddox has been arrested as one of 27 men caught in a child sex sting by law enforcement in Florida.
Maddox faces four felony charges: Traveling to meet after using a computer to seduce/solicit/lure a child; soliciting a child by computer; unlawful use of a communication device; and producing or promoting a performance that includes sexual performance by a child.
BYPASS THE CENSORS
Sign up to get unfiltered news delivered straight to your inbox.
You can unsubscribe any time. By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use
According to WBTS-TV in Boston, Maddox, 33, was arrested April 28 by the Jacksonville Sherriff’s Office after a sting called Operation Valiant Knights in which the sheriff’s office and its partners arrested men they charged with seeking sex from underage individuals.
The online news outlet Florida’s Voice reported that Maddox resisted arrest and a K-9 became involved in the arrest.
A scene Maddox being tackled appears at 1:37 of a video by the sheriff’s office to the social media platform X:
Maddox is in jail on a $300,000 bond, according to Time.
According to WBTS, Maddox appeared as a reliever in 15 Red Sox games in the 2017 season, with an ERA of 0.52 in 17 regular season innings in 13 games, and a postseason ERA of 4.50 over two innings.
“Undercover detectives posing as children, chatted online with these adults. These adults solicited sexual activity and committed to engaging in sex acts with purported minors and pre-arranged locations,” Waters said, according to WJXT-TV in Jacksonville.
Waters said the 27 men arrested ranged from 19 to 69 years old.
Waters also had a message for parents, according to Florida’s Voice.
“It’s very important for us to set as many protections on our computers and to pay attention to what our kids are doing,” Waters said. “If you don’t, sometimes these kinds of things happen and we do not want our kids being victims of these predators.”
