Austin Maddox, a former MLB player, was arrested in Florida, United States, during a police operation against the sexual abuse of minors, when he tried to have sex with a minor, authorities said.
In the police operation, the former Boston Red Sox player was arrested along with 26 other men who allegedly had conversations with minors through pornographic websites, which are part of the agents’ operation.
Footage of police in Florida arresting former Red Sox pitcher Austin Maddox, after he attempted to meet an underage girl pic.twitter.com/6VEqo8SryV
— Dexerto (@Dexerto) May 20, 2024
Maddox, who retired from baseball in 2020, is accused of having taken a trip to meet with an underage girl in search of sex, immediately, after having an online conversation.
According to the arrest report, the 33-year-old man expressed his intention to have sex with a minor under the age of 14, who was actually an undercover agent.
“Austin Maddox, a former MLB player for the Red Sox, traveled with the intent to engage in sexual activity with a 14-year-old girl,” Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters said at a news conference Monday.
The athlete is accused of the illegal use of two-way communication devices, as well as promoting sexual performance in minors. He is being held on $300,000 bail. Allegedly, the youngest age would have started since April 28. After agreeing on a place and time to meet, he was arrested by the police upon arrival.
Footage released by the sheriff’s office shows an officer tackling Maddox to the ground and he resisted before authorities removed the police dogs.
Who is Austin Maddox?
He got his start in baseball at the University of Florida; in 2012 he was drafted by the Boston Red Sox. Originally from Jacksonville, Florida, he made his MLB debut in 2017 after spending several years in the minor leagues, following months of injury problems, he had to leave the first-team roster.
He pitched just 13 games and accumulated 17.1 innings of work with 14 strikeouts and a 0.52 ERA in earned runs allowed.
This story was written in spanish by Daniel Matute in Cultura Colectiva.