Florida pastor arrested on sexual abuse, HIV nondisclosure

A Florida pastor has been arrested and charged with sexually battering a 14-year-old boy and failing to disclose his HIV-positive status to the minor and an adult male victim, according to authorities. Timothy Chaneyfield, 42, was taken into custody at Orlando International Airport on July 29 following an investigation that began with a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said the investigation was launched after detectives received a report of inappropriate online communication between an adult and a child. Investigators allege Chaneyfield first connected with the teenager on a dating app before moving their conversations to Instagram. Authorities claim the online exchanges led to three in-person meetings on consecutive days, where Chaneyfield allegedly picked up the boy at the entrance to his subdivision and drove him to his home in Winter Haven for sexual encounters.

Chaneyfield, a pastor at St. James United American Free Will Baptist Church and a chaplain for Compassionate Care Hospice, allegedly called the boy after these meetings to say he wanted to continue their sexual relationship and that he was traveling to...