HIV groups and public health experts are opposing the severe criminal charges brought against an HIV-positive Missouri man for allegedly biting a police officer, according to a Center for HIV Law and Policy (CHLP) statement. Because of his HIV-positive status, and because attempted exposure to HIV counts as a Class B felony in Missouri, the man could serve five to 15 years in prison if he is convicted of biting a police sergeant on the arm during a 2011 incident in a Branson apartment complex. Public health experts say that the case against the man rests on misinformation about how HIV is transmitted.

To read the CHLP statement, click here.