SerpApi.Org
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WOWK) – A West Virginia Delegate has been charged with enticing a minor.
According to a criminal complaint from the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia, Del. David Elliott Pritt (R-Fayette) was arrested Wednesday and faces one count of enticement of a minor.
Pritt was arrested and is set to be released from custody on Monday, July 27. A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office tells 13 News that the prosecutors will be invoking the “rebuttable presumption that he remain in custody throughout the case.”
The complaint says the investigation began on July 9 after a 15-year-old girl’s family reported that Pritt had allegedly sexually assaulted her. The complaint identified Pritt as a high school teacher in Fayette County and a previous middle school teacher in Fayette County.
According to the complaint, the teenager told authorities that Pritt began communication with her and at least one other female student when she was in eighth grade through the online game, Roblox. She told authorities the communication then moved to Snapchat, the complaint says.
The victim told authorities that the conversations gradually became more personal, with Pritt claiming he “loved her” by the end of that school year, the complaint says. The complaint goes on to say that the victim said that in the summer of 2025, Pritt allegedly sent her an inappropriate photo and began requesting inappropriate photos of her.
According to the complaint, the victim said Pritt allegedly initiated a physical relationship later in 2025. The complaint says the victim told authorities he messaged her to meet him in his classroom to engage in sexual activity at least five to ten times.
The complaint says the victim told authorities that the last “physical sexual encounter” happened around the end of 2025 or the beginning of 2026, but the Snapchat messages allegedly continued until July 2026. According to the complaint, in June, Pritt allegedly told the victim not to tell anyone because it would “open up hell in our lives” because of his role as an educator and legislator.
Pritt appeared before federal Magistrate Judge Dwane Tinsley Wednesday afternoon for an initial hearing.
Pritt represents the 50th House of Delegates District in Fayette County. According to the West Virginia Legislature’s website, Pritt serves on the Education, Educational Choice and Higher Education committees, as well as the Corrections and Public Safety, Education and Veterans’ Affairs interim committees.
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