Police officer arrested, accused of not disclosing HIV status to sex partner

PENSACOLA, Fla. (WALA/Gray News) - An officer in Florida is accused of having sexual intercourse with another person without disclosing that he has HIV.

Pensacola Police Department Officer Pierce Cotton, 32, has been charged with violating Florida Statute 384.24(2), a third-degree felony, authorities said.

The statue states:

“It is unlawful for any person who has human immunodeficiency virus infection, when such person knows he or she is infected with this disease and when such person has been informed that he or she may communicate this disease to another person through sexual intercourse, to have sexual intercourse with any other person, unless such other person has been informed of the presence of the sexually transmissible disease and has consented to the sexual intercourse.”

The Pensacola Police Department said Cotton is currently on administrative leave and that an internal affairs investigation is underway.

Jail records show Cotton was arrested before being released on a $10,000 bond Friday afternoon.

Cotton’s mug shot is exempt from public records under Florida law.

Among Cotton’s achievements with the department, he was awarded the Life Saving award in 2023 for his resuscitation of a man found drowning in a hotel pool.