In 2017, Austin Dean Maddox stepped to the mound as a pitcher for the Boston Red Sox.
And now he is among 27 men arrested in a child sex sting in Florida.
Maddox, 33, was arrested April 28 by the Jacksonville Sherriff’s Office after a sting called Operation Valiant Knights in which the sheriff’s office and its partners arrested men they charged with seeking sex from underage individuals, according to WBTS-TV in Boston.
He 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; and producing or promoting a performance that includes sexual performance by a child.
The online news outlet Florida’s Voice reported that Maddox resisted arrest and a K-9 became involved in the arrest.
A scene Maddox being tackled appears at 1:37 of a video by the sheriff’s office to the social media platform X:
CHILD PREDATOR OPERATION:
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
— Jax Sheriff’s Office (@JSOPIO) May 20, 2024
Maddox is in jail on a $300,000 bond, according to Time.
Has the internet made the world more dangerous for children?
According to WBTS, 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.
Waters said the 27 men arrested ranged from 19 to 69 years old,
Kevin Pearce, 58, 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, according to Florida’s Voice.
“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.”
