Authorities reported that they conducted an operation in which at least 27 people were arrested on charges of soliciting sex over the internet from people they believed to be children. Among those arrested was Austin Maddox, who had a brief stint pitching for the Boston Red Sox in 2017.

Jacksonville (Florida) Sheriff TK Waters explained the operation and claimed that the defendants were aware that they had scheduled to meet up with minors with the intention of having sex.

"Austin Maddox, a former Red Sox MLB player, traveled with the intent of engaging in sexual activity with a 14-year-old child," said Waters.

An arrest report, accessed by CBS, detailed that the 33-year-old former MLB player communicated with an undercover agent posing as an underage girl on April 28. "He expressed his intent to have sex with the girl even after she told him that she was 14,” reported CBS.

Maddox is being charged with four felonies, including traveling to meet after using a computer to solicit a child. He is being held in jail on a $300,000 bond. Several media outlets attempted to reach out to his attorney for comment, but were unable to.

The sherrif’s office posted a video of the arrests on Facebook. It said, “These men face a long list of felonies including solicitation of a child and human trafficking. JSO and our partners go to great lengths to keep children safe, and we will continue to conduct operations like this.”