HIV-positive pastor shocks community, charged with abuse of 14-year-old boy: 'Jesus don't like that'
By Samantha Kamman, Christian Post Reporter Thursday, August 06, 2026
Polk County Florida Sheriff Grady Judd details the charges against Timothy Chaneyfield, a pastor accused of sexually abusing a 14-year-old boy, during a press conference on Aug. 4, 2026. | YouTube/Polk Sheriff
An HIV-positive Florida pastor is accused of sexually abusing a 14-year-old boy he met on a dating app, after allegedly going online to target children. The case has left residents shocked and horrified.
Timothy Chaneyfield, 42, the pastor at St. James United American Free Will Baptist Church in Winter Haven, is facing several charges and was transferred to the Polk County Jail, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said during a press conference Tuesday. He is being held on a bond of over $350,000.
Chaneyfield faces the following charges: 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 cannabis, and five counts of possession of drug paraphernalia.
Judd said investigators spoke with members of the St. James church, who were “shocked” and said, “they had absolutely no idea their pastor was like that.” The investigation revealed that Chaneyfield had gone online searching for children and met the 14-year-old boy through a dating app.
According to the Polk County Sheriff's Office (PCSO), the investigation began on July 28 after a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The tip came from Instagram, where Chaneyfield and the victim continued chatting after meeting on the dating app.
“And then Timothy Chaneyfield picked him up in front of his neighborhood on three different occasions,” Judd said. “And on those three different occasions, he wasn't preaching, but he was messing around.”
Investigators said Chaneyfield picked up the victim on three consecutive days at the entrance to his subdivision, drove him to his house in Winter Haven and sexually abused him.
The pastor allegedly told the victim during a phone call that he wanted to continue having sex with him. He also told the boy he had to travel to Baltimore; investigators later learned he was presiding over a funeral there.




