The Polk County Sheriff’s Office Special Victims Unit arrested 42-year-old Timothy Chaneyfield, the pastor of St. James United American Free Will Baptist Church, on multiple charges.
According to Sheriff Grady Judd, the investigation began after Instagram submitted a cyber tip reporting suspected inappropriate communication between an adult and a child.
During an interview with investigators, the alleged victim said he met Chaneyfield on a dating app before the two continued communicating through Instagram.
Investigators allege that Chaneyfield picked the child up from his neighborhood on three separate occasions, took him to his home, and s+xually ab¥sed him.
Authorities also said that during a phone conversation, Chaneyfield allegedly told the child he wanted to continue having s+xual relations with him. He also reportedly mentioned that he was traveling to Baltimore for work.
Investigators also discovered that Chaneyfield served as a chaplain with Compassionate Care Hospice and was scheduled to officiate a funeral.
Police later secured an arrest warrant, and with the assistance of the Orlando Police Department, Chaneyfield was arrested at Orlando International Airport on July 29, 2026, after returning from a trip.
Authorities said he admitted during questioning that he had engaged in s+xual activity with the child.
Detectives confirmed that Chaneyfield is HIV positive and receiving treatment. They alleged he failed to disclose his HIV status to both the child and the man before engaging in s+xual activity.
Chaneyfield has also been charged in connection with those allegations. The charges against him include unlawful use of a two-way communication device, traveling to meet an individual, four counts of engaging in s+xual activity without disclosing his HIV-positive status, possession of mar+juana, and five counts of possessing dr¥g paraphernalia.
He is currently being held on a bond of more than $350,000.
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