Former MLB Pitcher Austin Maddox Among 27 Arrested in Florida Child Predator Sting Operation

Austin Maddox, a former pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, has been arrested in an underage sex sting in Florida, as confirmed by authorities on Monday.

Maddox is among 27 individuals apprehended during a coordinated effort by multiple agencies led by Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters last month. The individuals arrested are accused of soliciting sex online from persons they believed to be minors.

Below are some of the suspects arrested in the ‘Operation Valiant Knights:’

James Hill, Maddox’s defense attorney, stated his client’s intention to vigorously contest the accusations.

He will plead not guilty if formal charges are pursued, according to Hill per AP.

According to the arrest report, on April 28, Maddox initiated contact with an undercover officer who was posing as an underage girl.

Despite being informed by the purported minor of her age, 14, Maddox reportedly continued to express a desire to engage in sexual activity and arranged a meeting at a specified location. Law enforcement officers arrested him upon his arrival.

Dramatic footage released by the sheriff’s office captures the moment when officers tackled Maddox to the ground during the arrest.

“Maddox resisted arrest until our K-9 unit intervened,” the video narration explains.

Maddox faces multiple felony charges, including traveling to meet a minor after using a computer to solicit a child. He is currently held on a $300,000 bond.

WATCH:

NEW: Former MLB pitcher Austin Maddox, 26 others nabbed in child predator sting in Jacksonville pic.twitter.com/ilnuQYXwf2

— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) May 20, 2024

CBS News reported: “Maddox played college ball for the University of Florida and was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in 2012. He made his major league debut with the team in 2017 after several years in the minors. According to Baseball Reference, he appeared in 13 games for Boston in 2017, throwing 17 innings. He spent about three months on the Red Sox roster before heading back to the minors to recover from shoulder injuries. He was released from the team in 2019.”

Additionally, one of the 27 individuals arrested in the operation was a school employee. Jax Today reported, “Duval County school maintenance worker Kevin Bryan Pearce is still jailed on $400,000 bail on five charges including coercing commercial sexual activity of an adult for human trafficking and traveling to meet a child after using a computer to solicit them, jail records show.”

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