Florida Pastor Accused of Sexually Abusing 14 Year Old Boy and Exposing Him to HIV, Polk Sheriff Says
A 42 year old Polk County pastor, hospice chaplain and former public school employee is facing a series of serious felony charges after investigators accused him of sexually abusing a 14 year old boy he met online and exposing the child to HIV without disclosing his status, according to allegations announced by Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd.
Authorities identified the suspect as Timothy Cheneyfield, a pastor at St. James United American Free Will Baptist Church in Winter Haven. Judd said Cheneyfield has also worked as a hospice chaplain and spent more than a decade employed by Polk County Public Schools in positions that reportedly included paraprofessional, substitute-teaching and information-technology work. The allegations against Cheneyfield are criminal accusations, and he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
CyberTip Leads Investigators to 14 Year Old Boy
According to Judd’s account of the investigation, the case began with a CyberTip involving communications between an adult and a minor on Instagram. The information initially went to the Auburndale Police Department before being referred to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. Detectives allege Cheneyfield initially connected with a 14 year old boy through an online dating platform before their conversations moved to Instagram.
Investigators say the relationship then moved offline. According to the Sheriff’s Office, Cheneyfield allegedly drove to the entrance of the teenager’s neighborhood on at least three separate occasions, picked up the child and transported him to Cheneyfield’s residence in Eagle Lake. Authorities allege sexual activity occurred between Cheneyfield and the 14year old during those encounters. Under Florida law, a 14 year old cannot legally consent to sexual activity with a 42 year old adult, regardless of how the two initially encountered one another online.
Sheriff Says Cheneyfield Admitted Picking Up Teen
Detectives eventually tracked Cheneyfield while he was out of state in Baltimore, where authorities said he was performing a funeral service. Rather than attempting to apprehend him there, investigators coordinated his arrest when he returned to Florida. Judd said Cheneyfield was taken into custody at the airport with assistance from the Orlando Police Department.
According to Judd, Cheneyfield subsequently admitted to investigators that he picked up the 14 year old on at least three occasions and brought him to his residence for sexual activity. The precise statements attributed to Cheneyfield will ultimately be subject to the court process, including any challenges by his defense attorneys regarding how those statements were obtained or characterized.
HIV Allegations Add Another Disturbing Dimension
One of the most serious components of the investigation involves allegations that Cheneyfield knew he was HIV positive but did not disclose his status to the teenager before allegedly engaging in unprotected sexual activity. Judd said law enforcement moved quickly after discovering the alleged exposure, helping ensure the child received post exposure prophylaxis, commonly known as PEP.
PEP is an emergency course of HIV medication intended to reduce the possibility of infection following a potential exposure. It is most effective when treatment begins as quickly as possible after the exposure.
The HIV allegation is particularly important to distinguish from Cheneyfield’s HIV status itself. Living with HIV is not a crime, and modern antiretroviral treatment can allow people with HIV to live long, healthy lives while dramatically reducing or eliminating the risk of sexual transmission. The criminal allegation in this case centers on the Sheriff’s Office’s claim that Cheneyfield knowingly engaged in sexual activity without legally required disclosure—not simply that he was HIV-positive.
Investigators Identify Another Alleged Victim
The investigation did not end with the teenager. Judd said detectives identified a 26 year old adult who reported having a sexual relationship with Cheneyfield without being informed of Cheneyfield’s HIV status. According to the sheriff, that individual subsequently tested positive for HIV. That allegation will require careful investigation because a positive HIV test by itself does not establish who transmitted the virus or when transmission occurred. Establishing criminal responsibility requires evidence beyond the fact that two individuals had sexual contact and one later tested positive.
Nevertheless, authorities say the additional case has intensified concerns that investigators may not yet know the full scope of Cheneyfield’s alleged conduct.
Years of Access to Schools, Churches and Vulnerable People
Cheneyfield’s professional history is one reason investigators are publicly asking potential additional victims to come forward. According to Judd, Cheneyfield served as a lead pastor at St. James United American Free Will Baptist Church and was ordained in 2020 at New Mount Zion Church in Haines City. He also reportedly worked as a chaplain for Compassionate Care Hospice. Perhaps most significantly for investigators, Judd said Cheneyfield worked for Polk County’s public school system from approximately 2012 through 2024.
His positions reportedly included work as a paraprofessional, substitute teacher and information technology employee, including employment connected to Crystal Lake Middle School. None of those positions establishes that additional crimes occurred. However, authorities say Cheneyfield’s extended access to children and vulnerable individuals makes identifying anyone else who may have had inappropriate contact with him an investigative priority.
Multiple Felony Charges Filed
According to the Sheriff’s Office, Cheneyfield faces multiple criminal charges stemming from the investigation, including three counts of lewd battery involving a minor. Authorities also announced charges related to traveling to meet a minor and using a computer or electronic device in connection with the alleged offenses. Cheneyfield additionally faces an allegation involving unlawful sexual intercourse or exposure by a person with HIV without disclosure, as well as a marijuana possession charge.
The exact charging language, statutory sections and number of counts should ultimately be confirmed against the criminal complaint, probable cause affidavit and court docket as the prosecution moves forward. The most serious allegations could expose Cheneyfield to substantial prison time if prosecutors obtain convictions.
Sheriff Grady Judd Warns There Could Be More Victims
The investigation has now expanded beyond determining what allegedly happened between Cheneyfield and the 14-year-old. Authorities want to know whether there are other people who had similar encounters with him. Given Cheneyfield’s reported history in education, ministry and hospice care, investigators are urging anyone who believes they were victimized, or anyone with information concerning potentially inappropriate contact with minors, to contact law enforcement.
Authorities have also urged people who believe they may have had sexual contact with Cheneyfield without knowing his HIV status to seek medical testing and professional medical guidance. That warning is not merely about building a criminal prosecution. If another person was recently exposed to HIV, rapid medical intervention can be critically important.
Online Contact Between Adults and Children Remains a Major Investigative Problem
The allegations also demonstrate how quickly communication that begins on an app can move into the physical world. Dating apps and social media platforms can provide investigators with extensive digital evidence, including account information, direct messages, photographs, location records and other metadata. Those records can become central evidence when authorities investigate allegations of grooming, traveling to meet children or sexual exploitation.
In this case, investigators say the digital trail ultimately helped expose conduct that allegedly progressed from online communication to repeated in person encounters.
For parents, the case is another reminder that knowing which applications a child has installed is only part of the problem. Conversations can migrate rapidly from one platform to another, while adults can misrepresent their identities, intentions or ages online.
Investigation Remains Open
The Cheneyfield case remains an active criminal matter, and additional allegations or charges could emerge if investigators identify other potential victims. At the same time, the accusations announced by law enforcement have not yet been proven at trial. Cheneyfield is entitled to challenge the government’s evidence and is presumed innocent under the law unless convicted.
For Polk County investigators, however, the immediate concern extends beyond the prosecution already underway. They want to determine whether the 14 year old boy whose case triggered the investigation was the only child allegedly targeted or simply the first victim authorities discovered.
