A Newnan woman faces felony charges after police said she had sex with two people without disclosing that she was HIV-positive.
Rebekah Diane Fleming, 25, was arrested last week on two counts of reckless conduct by someone with HIV, jail records show.
According to Newnan police, Fleming agreed to a sexual relationship with both people earlier this year but failed to inform them she had tested positive. A friend of those sexual partners later informed them of Fleming’s status, and the two filed a police report, authorities said.
According to the incident report, Fleming didn’t tell them she was HIV-positive at the time because her levels were low and “she thought they might be upset.” Both people later tested negative for the virus, authorities said.
Fleming was arrested July 31. If convicted, she faces up to 10 years in prison for each count.
A bill aimed at reducing criminal penalties for those who do not disclose their positive HIV status to sexual partners passed the Georgia House in March, but it failed to become law.
House Bill 719 sought to reduce the state’s criminal penalties for HIV-positive people who have sex, share needles or donate blood without first making their status known. The bill would have downgraded penalties to misdemeanors punishable by up to a year behind bars, but only if criminal intent to infect someone could be proven.
The measure had bipartisan support in the House and passed by a vote of 124-40, but it failed to make it through the Senate on the final day of the legislative session.
Fleming was released from jail Saturday evening after posting a $5,700 bond, Coweta County records show.
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