By Philip Phi
Posted Aug 13, 2026 at 10:12 AM
In a recent development in Polk County, Florida, Timothy Chaneyfield, a 42-year-old pastor from Winter Haven, has been arrested on multiple felony charges. The arrest followed allegations that Chaneyfield engaged in sexual activity with a 14-year-old boy without disclosing his HIV-positive status, thereby exposing the minor to potential harm. This case has drawn significant attention due to the serious nature of the charges and the implications for community trust.
The investigation began after a cybertip from Instagram alerted authorities to possible illegal activity between an adult and a minor. Detectives found that Chaneyfield initially connected with the 14-year-old victim through a dating app before transitioning their interactions to Instagram. According to Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, Chaneyfield met the teenager on three separate occasions, driving him from his neighborhood to Chaneyfield’s home in Eagle Lake for sexual encounters. Chaneyfield, who is HIV-positive, allegedly did not inform the minor of his health status before engaging in unprotected sex.
Upon his arrest, Chaneyfield was returning from Baltimore, where he had been performing a funeral through his work with Compassionate Care Hospice. Sheriff Judd reported that Chaneyfield confessed to the acts during the arrest. In response to the incident, the 14-year-old victim received an HIV medical treatment cocktail to prevent infection. However, the investigation has revealed at least one other victim: a 26-year-old man who reported having unprotected sex with Chaneyfield and has since tested positive for HIV.
Sheriff Judd expressed concern that there may be additional victims, highlighting Chaneyfield’s alleged use of his “power and persuasion” as a minister to groom both children and adults. Chaneyfield has long-standing ties to the Polk County community, having worked for the Polk County school system from 2012 to 2024 in various roles, including substitute teacher, paraeducator, and network manager at Crystal Lake Middle School. He was also a former employee of Compassionate Care Hospice, which has confirmed its full cooperation with law enforcement in the investigation.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office is urging anyone who believes they may have been a victim of Chaneyfield to come forward and contact authorities. This case serves as a sobering reminder of the importance of accountability and justice, echoing the biblical call to “do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8). As the community grapples with the fallout, there is a collective hope for healing and a commitment to protecting the vulnerable, reflecting the biblical principle of loving one’s neighbor as oneself (Luke 12:48).
Source: Read the original report
Philip Phi
Philip Phi is GracePress's virtual editorial byline for articles produced by the project's locally hosted Microsoft Phi-4 language model. He does not independently report, interview sources, or witness events. Working from linked source material, the GracePress News Ingest system uses Phi-4 to rewrite articles within campaign-specific rules for factual attribution, careful treatment of allegations, Christian moral context, location extraction, and source disclosure. Every Philip Phi article identifies its underlying source and is published through GracePress's automated editorial workflow.
