Austin Maddox, a former Boston Red Sox pitcher, was arrested in Florida on Monday as part of an underage sex sting.
Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters said Maddox was one of 27 people who were arrested as part of an operation that spanned across multiple agencies.
Maddox and the others arrested are being accused of soliciting sex over the internet from those believed to be children, according to officials.
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Maddox, 33, intends to fight the allegations, according to his defense attorney James Hill. He will be entering a not guilty plea should formal charges be filed against him.
Maddox is being charged with four felony counts, which include traveling to meet after using a computer to solicit a child. Bail has been set at $300,000 for Maddox, who is being held in jail.
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The sex sting operation saw Maddox communicating with an undercover agent who pretended to be an underage girl on April 28. According to the arrest report, Maddox said he wanted to have sex with the girl (the undercover agent), though it was made known to him that she was 14.
After agreeing to a pre-determined location, authorities met Maddox to arrest him.
Maddox, who was born in Jacksonville, played just 13 games in MLB in 2017. He threw 17.1 innings, giving up 13 hits but allowing just one earned run over that span for a 0.52 ERA.
But Maddox didn’t last long in the bigs, as shoulder injuries derailed his stay.
He was a standout at the University of Florida during his college days, as he would end up being drafted by Boston in the third round of the 2012 MLB Draft. However, things didn’t pan out professionally, as he spent most of his time in the minors.
He last pitched in 2018 for three different teams, including Double-A Portland and Triple-A Pawtucket.
Maddox was released by the team in 2019.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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