A Florida pastor who allegedly withheld his HIV status from a 14-year-old boy he lured into sex has been arrested. Timothy Chaneyfield, 42, is accused of grooming and sexually abusing the teenager at his home on three separate occasions.
Arrest and Investigation
The Polk County Sheriff's Office began investigating after receiving a tip via Instagram about alleged inappropriate activity with a minor. Chaneyfield, who served at St. James United American Free Will Baptist Church and worked as a hospice chaplain, was arrested in Orlando on July 29 after his flight landed from Baltimore, where he had been preaching at a funeral.
Investigators say Chaneyfield initially contacted the teen on a dating app before moving to Instagram Direct Messaging. He then picked up the boy in his neighborhood and brought him to his house in Eagle Creek, where they had sex.
Additional Victim and Health Concerns
Investigators have also spoken to a 26-year-old who said he tested positive for HIV after engaging in sexual acts with Chaneyfield. The teen has received HIV Antiretroviral Therapy (ART), a combination of drugs designed to stop the virus from replicating.
Sheriff Grady Judd condemned the alleged acts, stating, "We pray that our work was fast enough, because we got our victim the HIV cocktail that we stopped this child from becoming infected. But we have a 26-year-old that said he engaged Timothy Chaneyfield in sex, and now he is HIV positive."
Judd added, "Jesus doesn't like that, and he'll have to answer to that one day in a court much higher than ours, that he hid behind the cloak, that he abused the power and the persuasion of a well-recognised minister in order to groom children and apparently at least one adult."
Charges and Appeal
Chaneyfield faces charges including 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.
Investigators urge anyone who has had sexual contact with Chaneyfield to contact them and seek immediate medical care.
