Former MLB Player Among 27 Men Arrested as Part of Child Predator Operation

Former Major League Baseball player Austin Dean Maddox was arrested as part of a child predator operation conducted by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, authorities announced on Monday, May 20.

Maddox, who played for the Boston Red Sox in 2017, was one of 27 people arrested as part of the multi-agency operation last month, Jacksonville Sheriff TK Waters said.

According to Waters, the suspects, aged 19 to 69, were arrested for soliciting sexual activity and committing to “engaging in sex acts with purported minors at pre-arranged locations.”

“These men face a long list of felonies including solicitation of a child and human trafficking,” the sheriff’s office said. Credit: Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office via Storyful

Video transcript

Face away, put your, put your hands up.

It's clear that they're minors and it's clear that they're trying to sexually exploit the miners.

Do you have a, you have like, why would I do that?

I'm so sorry, I'm not gonna ever get her.

The Jacksonville sheriff's office working with local state and federal partners.

Recently arrested 27 men accused of using the internet to sexually exploit Children.

The operation lasted five days.

In this case, each of these men thought that they were meeting up with a minor.

Yes, sir.

For a sexual encounter.

Yes, I do.

The task force used undercover chatters to talk online with potential predators who eventually agreed to meet who they thought were underage girls for sexual encounters.

Instead, these men met our Js O SWAT and narcotics detectives.

Certainly an unwelcome surprise.

The quicker that apprehension can happen, the safer it's going to be and less likely it will involve any danger to the community in that immediate area.

Robert Lee Suter showed up armed with a handgun and illegal drugs.

Identified as MD MA, former major league baseball player, Austin Dean Maddox resisted arrest until our canine got involved.

Yeah.

He stopped Chad Michael Sadowski still in his scrubs from working at a local hospital on the side of the road.

Investigators say he believed he was meeting an eight year old child and detectives say Kevin Bryan Pierce who worked for the Duval County public school system in maintenance even sent a nude photo of himself to detectives whom he thought were a 13 year old girl.

We plan on continuing to do these undercover stings.

Our partner agencies are also going to be doing them.

The undercover detectives are doing their best to identify and arrest these individuals that are on the internet again, trying to sexually exploit Children.

Remember see something, say something, report child sexual exploitation through the national cyber tip line at report dot cyber tip.org or call 1 800 the lost.

You can also contact the Jacksonville sheriff's office at JSO Crime Tips at jacker.org or call 9046300 500.