Former Boston Red Sox pitcher Austin Maddox was apprehended in Florida as part of a law enforcement operation targeting individuals soliciting sex from minors online.
According to Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters, Maddox was among 27 individuals detained in the multi-agency sting.
Maddox is accused of soliciting sex over the internet from people who they believed were children, Sheriff Waters stated.
James Hill, Maddox’s defense attorney, affirmed his client’s intention to contest the charges vigorously.
The 33-year-old Maddox allegedly engaged in communication with an undercover agent posing as an underage girl beginning on April 28, as detailed in an arrest report.
Even after being informed that the girl was 14 years old, he allegedly expressed his intent to engage in sexual activity, officials disclosed.
Maddox allegedly agreed to meet with the girl at a predetermined location, where he was then arrested by law enforcement personnel.
Maddox faces four felony charges, including the offense of traveling to meet after soliciting a child online, and is currently detained in jail on a bond of $300,000.
Maddox, a former star at the University of Florida, was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in 2012, eventually making his major league debut with the team in 2017 after rising through the minors.
The Jacksonville-native ended up appearing in just 13 games at the Major League level.
He pitched 17.1 innings over that span, allowing 13 hits and just one earned run.
Maddox’s stint in the majors was short-lived, as recurring shoulder injuries prompted his return to the minor leagues.
He last pitched in 2018 where he saw action for three different teams in the minors, including Portland (Double-A) and Pawtucket (Triple-A).
He was released from the Red Sox in 2019.