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West Virginia lawmaker Elliott Pritt arrested on federal enticement charges

newsJul 22, 20261610,548

State Delegate and Assistant Majority Leader David Elliott Pritt, R-Fayette, was arrested by federal authorities and charged with enticing a minor after an investigation found he communicated with a 15-year-old girl via the gaming platform Roblox and later Snapchat. Court filings say the probe began in early July after a family reported an alleged sexual assault; the complaint describes contacts that started when the victim was in eighth grade, moved from Roblox to Snapchat, involved romantic messages and exchanged explicit photos during summer 2025, and included multiple alleged in-person sexual encounters in Pritt’s classroom that ceased around early 2026. Pritt made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Dwane Tinsley and prosecutors told the court they will seek his continued detention under a rebuttable presumption. Pritt represents District 50 in the West Virginia House of Delegates, serves on the Education, Educational Choice and Higher Education, Corrections and Public Safety, and Veterans’ Affairs committees, and holds a master’s in teaching from Concord University; media reports note he has worked as a Fayette County social studies teacher at middle and high school levels. Del. Kayla Young called for Pritt’s resignation, and the West Virginia Republican Party also issued a statement demanding he step down pending the case. The criminal complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia; investigators say online messaging continued into July 2026 and that Pritt warned the minor to stay silent because exposure would cause severe backlash given his public roles.

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