Pastor in Winter Haven, Florida, Charged in Alleged Sexual Abuse of 14-Year-Old Boy

Timothy Chaneyfield, 42, is the pastor of St. James United American Free Will Baptist Church in Winter Haven, Polk County, Florida. According to one report, he was arrested on July 29 after he got off a plane at Orlando International Airport. The reports describe his arrest as following allegations of sexual misconduct involving a 14-year-old boy, and the allegations have not been proven in court.

The reports differ on how the investigation began. U.S. Magazine reported that a cyber tip from Instagram to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children indicated inappropriate communication between an adult and a child. Fox 17 and CBS 12 reported that the tip was received by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. STV Times described a cybertip from Instagram that alerted authorities to possible illegal activity between an adult and a minor. In a short plain clause, the tip shows how a concern for a young person’s safety can prompt authorities to act (Proverbs 31:8-9).

According to NBC Connecticut, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office alleged that Chaneyfield met the boy on a dating app, then moved their conversations to Instagram. The office alleged that the two met three times for sex. These are allegations as reported by the sheriff’s office, and the reports do not present them as established facts.

Fox 17 and CBS 12 reported that the boy was allegedly groomed and sexually abused and was allegedly exposed to HIV. NBC Connecticut’s headline described the allegation that Chaneyfield was hiding an HIV diagnosis. Roy’s Report listed the charges filed against Chaneyfield as lewd battery of a minor, traveling to meet a minor for sex, failure to disclose HIV infection to a sexual partner, and misdemeanor possession of marijuana. STV Times described him as arrested on multiple felony charges in Polk County. Roy’s Report’s list includes a misdemeanor charge, so the reports’ descriptions of the charges are not identical.

A separate report, from West Orlando News, appeared under the headline “Pastor of Central Florida Church Arrested,” but the material supplied for that item contains only the headline, so no further details can be drawn from it.

The reports supplied do not describe a plea, a trial, a conviction, a settlement, or a civil lawsuit involving Chaneyfield.