A pastor of a Central Florida church was arrested, according to local law enforcement.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office Special Victims Unit arrested and charged 42-year-old Timothy Chaneyfield, the pastor at St. James United American Free Will Baptist Church in Central Florida.
According to law enforcement, he was arrested last month after the investigation began upon receipt of a cyber tip regarding inappropriate contact he was having with a child.
During an interview, the 14-year-old victim disclosed that he and Chaneyfield met on a dating mobile app, and then continued to chat via Instagram, which is where the National Center for Missing and Endangered Children tip was generated.
According to local law enforcement, Chaneyfield picked up the victim on three consecutive days at the entrance to the victim’s subdivision, then drove the victim to his house in Winter Haven, where he had sex with the victim each day. During a phone call with the victim, Chaneyfield told the child that he wanted to continue having sex with him. He then told the victim that he was flying to Baltimore for work.
Detectives learned that Chaneyfield is a chaplain for Compassionate Care Hospice and was going to preside over a funeral in Baltimore. Detectives obtained a warrant for Chaneyfield’s arrest, and working with the Orlando Police Department, he was taken into custody upon his return to the Orlando airport. He was booked into the Orange County Jail on the Polk County warrant, and PCSO detectives interviewed him. During the interview, he admitted to the sexual activity with the minor. He was transferred to the Polk County Jail last month.
During a separate investigation, an adult male reported to the PCSO that he had sex with Chaneyfield and learned after-the-fact that Chaneyfield was HIV positive. Detectives confirmed that Chaneyfield is HIV positive and is taking medication for the disease, and that Chaneyfield did not inform the adult victim, nor the child, about his HIV status. He has been appropriately charged for those crimes as well.
According to law enforcement, Timothy Chaneyfield was charged with: three counts lewd battery of a minor, three counts interfering with custody of a minor, unlawful use of a two-way communication device, three counts of travelling to meet a minor, four counts of an HIV infected person having sex without informing partner, possession of marijuana, and five counts possession of drug paraphernalia. He was held on over $350,000 bond.
If anyone has information regarding Timothy Chaneyfield having inappropriate contact with other minors, or other adult victims without disclosing his HIV status, they are urged to contact the Polk County Sheriff’s Office at 863-298-6200.
