Police searching for man wanted for exposing others to HIV
LITTLE ROCK (KATV) — The Little Rock Police Department is searching for a man who is wanted for exposing another person to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
Police say 40-year-old TX exposed another person to the HIV virus.
“If you knowingly expose someone to HIV, it’s a felony. There is a large amount of danger involved in that,” said Officer Richard Hilgeman with the Little Rock Police Department.
According to the police report, X is accused of knowingly passing the virus to a woman he had been sleeping with for months.
“She received an anonymous phone call from someone who apparently knew Mr. X and she advise her he exposed them to HIV,” said Hilgeman.
According to police, X was charged with the same crime back in 2015, along with failing to register as a sex offender.
“He’s a danger to any of his sexual partners and he is a danger to anyone who comes into contact with him,” said Hilgeman.
Police aren’t the only ones who take the felony charge seriously.
“When a person is intentionally spreading HIV, we try to locate the person and council them,” said Dr. Naveen Patil.
The Arkansas Health Department says 25 percent to 30 percent of Americans don’t know their HIV status, and it’s about 50 percent of those people who are responsible for new infections.
“In felony instances, the health department has the power to issue a cease and desist order where a person can be issued a letter stating that they could be in trouble for doing this,” said Dr. Patil.
The Health Department says they have several resources for those who have HIV or would like to know their status.
North Little Rock man charged in HIV exposure
A North Little Rock man was charged Thursday with knowingly exposing another person to HIV, police reported. TX, 39, is accused of “knowingly passing the virus” to a woman he slept with earlier this year, according to a police report.
Court records show that he faces three felony counts of the charge, two in Sherwood District Court and one in Little Rock District Court.
X has been held in the Pulaski County jail since Sept. 16 on a charge of failure to register as a sex offender. He was being held Thursday without bail.
