A former Boston Red Sox pitcher was recently arrested in an undercover child predator sting after authorities said he solicited sex from an underage girl and then traveled to meet her.
Austin Maddox, 33, of Jacksonville, Florida, is accused of traveling to meet after using a computer to solicit a child, soliciting a child via computer to engage in sexual conduct, unlawfully using a two-way communication device and producing or promoting performances that included sexual performances by a child, a Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office arrest report indicated.
Jacksonville Sheriff TK Waters said Maddox was arrested in “Operation Valiant Knights,” an undercover online sting where 27 men solicited sex over the Internet from who they believed were children, Boston sister station 25 reports. Action News Jax Reported.
Maddox spoke to someone who identified herself as a 14-year-old girl on the website “Skip the Games,” continued the conversation via text message and arranged a location for sex, according to the arrest report.
Investigators say Maddox “expressed a desire to commit lewd acts” and after learning the girl’s age, he allegedly said, “That’s young, honey. I have problems for this. You can’t even drive. Will you stay with me all night?
Maddox was arrested by members of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office when he arrived at the prearranged meeting location on April 28. Authorities noted that Maddox suffered injuries while being taken into custody.
“Former Major League Baseball player Austin Dean Maddox resisted arrest until our K9 became involved,” a sheriff’s office spokesperson said in a video that showed a group of officers hidden in wait before tackling Maddox to the ground. .
Undercover detectives posing as children spoke with the men who were arrested, including Maddox, “who engaged in sexual acts with alleged minors,” Waters said. He added that the purpose of the sting was “to identify and arrest suspects who solicit children to perform sexual acts using electronic devices.”
Maddox appeared in 13 games for the Red Sox during the 2017 season, posting a 0.52 ERA in 17.1 innings of work. He spent most of his career in the minors.
Multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Homeland Security Investigations, assisted the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office in this investigation.
When asked to comment on Maddox’s arrest, a Red Sox spokesperson told Boston 25, “I don’t have anything for you on that.”
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