Va. Man Allegedly Exposed Another Person to HIV Virus

Daniel Cleaves, a Richmond man charged with potentially transmitting HIV to a Bethesda woman he met at a bar, was jailed and charged with two additional counts Friday after a second victim came forward claiming he knowingly exposed her to the HIV virus.

The second purported victim spoke with police Oct. 13 after seeing news coverage about Cleaves. She said the two met in March 2013 at a bar in in Bethesda before going to her residence and having sex, The Washington Post reports.

The woman reportedly saw Cleaves at multiple bars over the next year and had unprotected sex with him twice on Sept. 13, according to police documents. Though both victims initially tested negative for HIV, the virus could take months to appear in blood work.

Cleaves, 28, has since been charged with two additional counts related to knowingly exposing a person to the HIV virus. He was booked into the Montgomery County Detention Center Friday afternoon.

Cleaves was originally charged with seven counts for allegedly attempting to transfer HIV to a Bethesda, Maryland woman. He is accused of having unprotected sex as many as nine times over the course of three days with the victim, who he reportedly met at the same bar.

The victim told police Cleaves never offered or asked to use a condom. She reportedly found medical tests in Cleaves’ backpack noting that he was HIV-positive. Cleaves later told her he was HIV-positive via text message.

Three additional cases against Cleaves are under investigation in central Virginia for alleged rape and forcible sodomy.

Cleaves is a 5’11” white male with blonde hair and blue eyes. Detectives believe there may be additional victims who had contact with Cleaves. Anyone who has further information regarding Daniel Cleaves is encouraged to contact the Montgomery County Police Department domestic violence unit at (240) 773-5050.