Modesitt on Vigo Co. HIV case: “There are a lot of pieces to this puzzle”

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) -16 formal charges have been filed against Isiah C. Benford, 31, in connection to a case of a Vigo County resident knowingly spreading HIV.

A Superior Court 6 Warrant was served by Indiana State Police on Monday at 11:13 a.m.

As reported by 24-Hour News 8 sister station, WTHI, Benford was already listed in the Vigo County Jail Tracker program for robbery.

It was in April that we reported a Vigo County resident was accused of knowingly spreading HIV.

“The state department of health notified us last year of an individual in Vigo County that as the years progressed that we have found out has infected 8 people with HIV, one with AIDS,” Joni Wise with the Vigo County Health Department told News 10 back in April.

Under Indiana Code it is a felony to not tell your sexual partners you have HIV; it’s called a ‘Duty to Warn.’

“At a time of diagnosis an individual signs this paper and they are held to it, it helps us act as a deterrent for people engaging in high risk behavior,” Wise stated in April.

On Monday, News 10 obtained court documents showing Benford has been charged for aggravated battery, battery by bodily fluid/waste (if person knew/failed to know bodily/fluid waste infected with hepatitis, tuberculosis or HIV), battery resulting in bodily injury, failure of carrier of AIDS, HIV, Hep B to warn person at risk, battery by body waste and failure to comply with ‘Duty to Warn.’

These documents show that Benford had tested positive for HIV in June of 2011. That is when he signed a ‘notice to warn’ which would require him to comply with ‘Duty to Warn’ per Indiana Code.

It was on April 26, 2014 that Benford was arrested for robbery and the Vigo County Prosecutor contacted Indiana State Police. They began their investigation on May 15, 2014.

During their investigation, ISP interviewed 11 females who reported they had sexual relations with Benford. These ‘credible and consistent’ partners told ISP that Benford did not warn them of his HIV diagnosis.

“[Partner A] was with Benford from 2012 – 2014. Benford never told [Partner A] of his health status before initiating a sexual relationship. Approximately three months in, during an argument, Benford told [Partner A] that ‘she was stuck with him’ because he has HIV and no one would want her,” the court documents read.

That partner was diagnosed in April of 2014 with HIV.

Court documents show a [Partner B] was with Benford from 2008 – 2012. “Benford denied to ‘Partner B’ that he had HIV and that he told her friends that she had HIV,” the documents read. That partner tested negative for HIV in May of 2014 but the court documents show that Partner B is “fearful that she may still be found to have HIV as a result of her contact with Benford.”

A Partner C was with Benford from 2006 – 2008. During this relations with Benford, he told Partner C that he did not have any Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD). But as a result of this investigation, Partner C was tested for HIV in 2014 and tested negative.

Benford was with a Partner D from 2003 – 2008. “Benford never told Partner D of his HIV status. Partner D later became ill and was diagnosed with HIV in 2010. Partner D believes she contracted HIV from Benford,” court documents state.

Officials believe, and court documents read, that Benford hid his HIV diagnosis from his sexual partners and/or taunted them with it.

As we reported in April, the Vigo County Health Department reported that eight identified female partners have tested positive with HIV and one unidentified female partner has tested positive for AIDS. “All nine of these women are epidemiologically linked to Isiah Benford,” court documents state.

On Aug. 6, 2014 a search warrant was conducted at the Monroe County Health Department in search of health and medical records of Benford. As a result of this search, documents recovered showed three entries on Sept. 12, 2003 including an ‘assigned medical record number indicating HIV testing had been performed.”

Those documents showed a positive testing of HIV for Benford.

Read the previously reported story here.