Former Red Sox pitcher Austin Maddox arrested in underage sex sting, Florida sheriff says

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Former Major League Baseball player Austin Maddox, who had a short stint pitching for the Boston Red Sox in 2017, was arrested in Florida in what authorities are calling a “child predator operation.”

Maddox was one of 27 people arrested as part of a multi-agency operation late last month, Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters said. They are accused of soliciting sex over the internet from people who they believed were children, officials said.

“Austin Maddox, a former Red Sox MLB player, traveled with the intent of engaging in sexual activity with a 14-year-old child,” Waters said at a news conference Monday.  

Charges against Austin Maddox

Maddox, 33, began communicating with an undercover agent pretending to be an underage girl on April 28, an arrest report said. He expressed his intent to have sex with the girl even after she told him that she was 14, officials said.

Maddox agreed to meet the girl at a pre-arranged location, where he was arrested by law enforcement officers, authorities said.

Video released by the sheriff’s office showed an officer tackling Maddox to the ground. 

“Maddox resisted arrest, until our K-9 got involved,” the video states.

He is charged with four felony counts, including traveling to meet after using a computer to solicit a child. He is being held in jail on a $300,000 bond. His attorney didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment from The Associated Press.

Austin Maddox career with the Red Sox

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.