Former Red Sox pitcher Austin Maddox’s mugshot showed red marks on his face and a swollen right eye after he was tackled to the ground by police during his arrest in a child sex solicitation sting in Florida on April 28.
Maddox, 33, a former third-round pick by Boston in the 2012 MLB Draft, was one of 27 male suspects arrested for allegedly “trying to use the internet to sexually exploit children.”
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, in tandem with multiple agencies, released video footage Monday of its successful five-day operation “Valiant Knights,” which included video of the moment Maddox was arrested at a prearranged location where he believed he was meeting a 14-year-old girl for sexual encounters, according to police.
“27 men thought they were chatting online with underage girls. Instead, they were talking to our detectives,” the Jacksonville Sheriff’s office wrote on social media.
“Maddox resisted arrest until our canine got involved,” police said.
In a press conference on Monday, Sheriff T.K. Waters said of the suspects, “In their minds they knew they were meeting minors and going to a specific location to have sexual intercourse with kids.”
Maddox was arrested on four felony counts, including travelling to meet a minor after using a computer to solicit a child, and his bond was set at just over $300,000.
He is due in court Tuesday, May 28.
James Hill, a defence lawyer for Maddox, said he intends to fight the allegations against him and will enter a plea of not guilty should formal charges be filed.
Maddox appeared in 15 games for the Red Sox in the 2017 season.
After battling shoulder injuries in the minors, the University of Florida product was released from the Red Sox in 2019.
