A Florida pastor was arrested after he allegedly abused a 14-year-old boy he met on a dating app.
St. James United American Free Will Baptist Church in Winter Haven pastor Timothy Chaneyfield was taken into custody after detectives investigated a tip made to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said during a press conference on Tuesday, August 4, that the investigation began after detectives received a report that an adult and child were allegedly involved in inappropriate online communication.
“We received a cyber tip from Instagram that there was illicit, inappropriate activity between an adult and a child,” Judd said.
Detectives traced the conversations to Chaneyfield, 42, and a 14-year-old boy, who reportedly first connected through a dating app. The pair then moved their communications to Instagram.
Authorities claimed that the online conversations eventually led to Chaneyfield and the teen meeting in person three times.
Chaneyfield allegedly met the boy outside the entrance to his neighborhood’s subdivision on three consecutive days. The pastor then took the boy to his home, where they allegedly had sexual encounters.
Investigators said that Chaneyfield allegedly told the boy during a phone call that he wanted to continue having sex with him and he added that he was traveling to Baltimore for work the following week.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office said that they learned Chaneyfield traveled to Baltimore for his role as a chaplain for Compassionate Care Hospice, where he was scheduled to preside over a funeral.
It was during that trip that authorities obtained an arrest warrant and Chaneyfield was taken into custody when he returned to the Orlando International Airport on July 29.
While speaking to authorities, Chaneyfield admitted that he had engaged in sexual activity with the minor.
Authorities added that he was transferred to the Polk County Jail on Saturday, August 1.
The case took a turn when another alleged victim came forward and claimed he had sexual contact with Chaneyfield before the pastor disclosed that he was HIV-positive. Detectives said that Chaneyfield did not reveal his HIV-positive status to either the adult or the 14-year-old before he allegedly had sex with them.
Judd added during the press conference that investigators worked quickly to give the teen an “HIV cocktail” to stop “this child from being infected.”
Chaneyfield is facing several charges, including three counts of lewd battery involving a minor, three counts of interfering with the custody of a minor, three counts of traveling to meet a minor, unlawful use of a two-way communication device, four counts related to allegedly engaging in sexual activity without informing partners of his HIV-positive status, possession of marijuana and five counts of possession of drug paraphernalia.
He is currently being held in custody on a $350,000 bond. It is not currently clear if he has entered a plea or retained legal counsel.
Investigators believe that Chaneyfield may have additional victims and have asked anyone with information to contact the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
Parents, teachers, and guardians interested in learning more about protecting children from exploitation can find useful tools and information at Know2Protect.
