Florida Pastor Charged with Allegedly Sexually Abusing 14-Year-Old Boy and Exposing Him to HIV

Timothy Chaneyfield, 42, a pastor at St. James United American Free Will Baptist Church in Winter Haven, Florida, was arrested on July 29 after he got off a plane at Orlando International Airport, according to NBC News. Another report gave his age as 43. The Polk County Sheriff’s Office has alleged that Chaneyfield and a 14-year-old boy met on a dating app and then moved their conversations to Instagram. The sheriff’s office alleges that this led to three meetings for sex. These are allegations, and no plea or court finding has been reported.

Accounts differ on how the investigation began. NBC News reported that tips from Instagram and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children led detectives to Chaneyfield, according to Sheriff Grady Judd. Yahoo reported that the investigation started with a tip made through social media. Fox 13 reported that Instagram flagged suspicious activity between an adult and a child. Each outlet attributes these details to law enforcement or the platforms involved, and the reports do not establish which tip came first.

Reports also differ on where the alleged meetings took place. Yahoo reported that Judd alleged Chaneyfield picked the boy up at least three times and sexually abused him at his residence. KATV reported that Judd said Chaneyfield picked the boy up from his neighborhood on three occasions and took him to his home in Eagle Lake. Protecting a child from exploitation is a matter of basic accountability (Proverbs 31:8-9). The reports attribute these descriptions to the sheriff and do not describe any independent confirmation of them.

The reports also address Chaneyfield’s HIV status. Yahoo reported that authorities claim Chaneyfield, who is HIV-positive, did not disclose his medical status before engaging in unprotected sexual activity with the minor. KATV reported that Judd alleged Chaneyfield is HIV-positive and failed to disclose his status to the teen before unprotected sexual activities. These statements are allegations made by the sheriff’s office and have not been tested in court.

Some headlines describe Chaneyfield as charged, while the body text of the reports refers to his arrest and to allegations against him. The reports do not provide a full list of formal charges, and they do not describe any court appearance, plea, conviction, or civil lawsuit. Fox 13’s account of how the alleged contact began was incomplete in the material available for this article.

According to Judd, as reported by NBC News, a 26-year-old man who also had sex with Chaneyfield tested positive for HIV.