Former Boston Red Sox Pitcher Austin Maddox was arrested in a Florida sex sting operation, according to deputies.
Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters said Maddox was one of 27 people detained in a multi-agency operation that concluded late last month.
According to deputies, they are charged with chatting with people who they thought were minors on the internet and asking for sex.
Maddox’s defense lawyer, James Hill, stated that he plans to refute the accusations made against his client and will submit a not-guilty plea in the event that formal charges are brought.
According to the arrest report, Maddox, 33, started corresponding with an undercover agent on April 28 while posing as a minor. Even after she revealed to him that she was only 14, he declared his desire to have intercourse with her, according to officials.
Authorities said that after Maddox consented to meet the girl at a prearranged location, he was taken into custody by deputies after resisting for a moment (on video).
In addition to traveling to a meeting after using a computer to solicit a kid, he is accused of four felonies. He has a $300,000 bond and is being detained.
In 2012, Maddox was selected by the Boston Red Sox in the collegiate baseball draft while attending the University of Florida.
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After spending a number of years in the minor leagues, he made his big league debut with the squad in 2017. Before returning to the minors to recuperate from shoulder issues, he was a member of the Red Sox roster for around three months. In 2019, he was cut from the team.
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