Former Red Sox pitcher Austin Dean Maddox is among the 27 men arrested in a child sex sting in Florida.
Maddox, 33, was arrested on April 28 at the Jacksonville Sherriff’s Office.
The sting, dubbed Operation Valiant Knights, arrested men they charged with seeking sex from underage individuals, WBTS-TV reported.
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
- Producing or promoting a performance that includes sexual performance by a child
Florida’s Voice reported that Maddox resisted arrest, and a K-9 became involved in the arrest.
A video posted on X shows Maddox being tackled by police:
CHILD PREDATOR OPERATION:
— Jax Sheriff's Office (@JSOPIO) May 20, 2024
27 men thought they were chatting online with underage girls. Instead, they were talking to our detectives.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, along with our local, state, and federal partners with the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force,… pic.twitter.com/b83oyAp1vd
Time reports that Maddox is in jail on a $300,000 bond.
Maddox is in jail on a $300,000 bond, according to Time.
The Western Journal noted that 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.
The 27 men arrested ranged from 19 to 69 years old,
A former Duval County Public Schools district maintenance employee, was among those arrested.
“He traveled to a prearranged location with the intent of engaging in sexual conduct with a 13-year-old child,” Waters said.
“JSO and our partners put the highest priority on the safety and security of our children,” Waters said.
“As the internet provides new and frightening opportunities for predators to victimize our children, our investigators, along with those with our partner agencies, will continue to proactively identify and apprehend child predators before they have the opportunity to act upon their perversions,” Waters said.
Waters also had a message for parents:
“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.”
