POLK COUNTY, Fla. — Polk County Sheriff’s Office detectives arrested 42-year-old Timothy Chaneyfield, pastor at St. James United American Free Will Baptist Church in Winter Haven, on charges stemming from inappropriate contact with a child.
The Special Victims Unit began the investigation July 28 after receiving a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. During an interview, the 14-year-old victim said he and Chaneyfield met on a dating app and later continued talking on Instagram, the platform that generated the tip.
Chaneyfield picked the teen up on three consecutive days at the entrance to the victim’s subdivision and drove him to his Winter Haven house, where the two had sex each day. In a phone call, Chaneyfield told the boy he wanted to continue the sexual activity and that he was flying to Baltimore for work.
Detectives learned Chaneyfield serves as a chaplain for Compassionate Care Hospice and was scheduled to preside over a funeral in Baltimore. They obtained an arrest warrant and, with help from the Orlando Police Department, took him into custody July 29 when he returned to Orlando International Airport.
He was booked into the Orange County Jail on the Polk County warrant. During a subsequent interview with PCSO detectives, Chaneyfield admitted to the sexual activity with the minor. He was transferred to the Polk County Jail on Aug. 1.
In a separate investigation, an adult man told deputies he had sex with Chaneyfield and later learned Chaneyfield is HIV positive. Detectives confirmed Chaneyfield has HIV, is taking medication for it, and did not disclose his status to either the adult or the child.
Chaneyfield faces three counts of lewd battery of a minor, three counts of interfering with custody of a minor, one count of unlawful use of a two-way communication device, three counts of traveling to meet a minor, four counts of an HIV-infected person having sex without informing a partner, one count of possession of marijuana and five counts of possession of drug paraphernalia. He is being held on more than $350,000 bond.
Anyone with information about possible additional contact between Chaneyfield and other minors, or adult victims who were not told of his HIV status, is asked to call the Polk County Sheriff’s Office at 863-298-6200.
ORIGINAL REPORT: Authorities have arrested a local pastor on multiple felony charges, including lewd battery of a minor and failing to inform sexual partners of an HIV infection.
Timothy Chaneyfield, 42, was taken into custody by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. Chaneyfield serves as a pastor at St. James United American Free Will Baptist Church in Winter Haven. Investigators noted that he also identified himself to detectives as a chaplain for Compassionate Care Hospice in Lakeland.
Sheriff Grady Judd is scheduled to address the details of the arrest during a press conference at 10:00 a.m. Tuesday.
Chaneyfield faces a list of charges that includes:
- Three counts of lewd battery of a minor
- Three counts of interfering with the custody of a minor
- Three counts of traveling to meet a minor
- Four counts of an HIV-infected person having sex without informing their partner
- One count of unlawful use of a two-way communication device
- One count of possession of cannabis
- Five counts of possession of drug paraphernalia
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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