A Florida pastor, Timothy Chaneyfield, 42, has been arrested and accused of repeatedly having sex with a 14-year-old boy without disclosing that he is HIV positive. Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd announced the charges Tuesday, warning that other victims may exist.
Chaneyfield, a pastor at the St. James United American Free Will Baptist Church and a hospice chaplain, allegedly lured the teen through a dating app and later Instagram direct messages. According to authorities, Chaneyfield groomed the minor online, picked him up, and brought him to his home where the sexual abuse occurred on three separate occasions.
The investigation began after the sheriff's office received a cyber tip from Instagram concerning alleged inappropriate activity with a minor. Investigators also spoke with a 26-year-old man who reported testing positive for HIV after engaging in sexual activity with Chaneyfield, whom the sheriff described as a "super spreader."
The 14-year-old victim has been administered medication to prevent HIV infection. "We pray that our work was fast enough, because we got our victim the HIV cocktail that we stopped this child from becoming infected," Sheriff Judd stated.
Chaneyfield was arrested in Orlando on July 29 after returning from a funeral service in Baltimore. His charges include lewd battery of a minor, interfering with custody of a minor, unlawful use of a two-way communication device, traveling to meet a minor, having sex as an HIV-infected person without informing the partner, possession of marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Authorities are urging anyone who may have had sexual contact with Chaneyfield to seek immediate medical attention and contact investigators, expressing concern that there may be additional victims due to his alleged aggressive behavior.