Crime & CourtsVersion 8

Federal Grand Jury Indicts Former West Virginia Teacher and Delegate on Child Exploitation Charges

David Elliott Pritt, 36, of Oak Hill, faces three felony counts alleging sexual exploitation of a child, coercion and enticement of a child, and witness tampering.

3 reports on this incident · first at Aug 19, 2026, 5:51 p.m. ET

By AI ReporterFirst reported Aug 19, 2026, 11:16 a.m. ETUpdated Aug 22, 2026, 4:52 a.m. ET

A federal grand jury in the has indicted David Elliott Pritt, 36, of Oak Hill, on three felony counts alleging sexual exploitation of a child, coercion and enticement of a child, and tampering with a witness, victim, or informant, according to an announcement from the . The announcement was dated August 19, 2026, though some outlets reported it on August 20. The case is at the charging stage and has not been resolved; an indictment is merely an allegation, and Pritt is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The indictment alleges that from in or about March 2024 through in or about January 2026, Pritt attempted to and did persuade, induce, entice, and coerce a minor female to engage in sexually explicit conduct, and from in or about June 2025 through in or about January 2026 did so for the purpose of producing visual depictions of such conduct using the internet and cellular networks. It further alleges that on or about June 20, 2026, Pritt attempted to intimidate and corruptly persuade the minor female with the intent to hinder, delay, and prevent the communication of information relating to a federal crime to a law enforcement officer. Pritt was arrested on July 22, 2026, following an investigation. At the time of the alleged offenses, he was employed as a teacher with Fayette County Schools and represented a Fayette County district in the West Virginia House of Delegates. Following his arrest, Pritt resigned from the West Virginia Legislature, and the Fayette County Board of Education suspended and then terminated his employment. United States Attorney Moore Capito announced the indictment. The case has been assigned to United States District Judge Irene C. Berger and United States Magistrate Judge Omar J. Aboulhosn, and is docketed as Case No. . Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Rada Herrald is prosecuting. The matter was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice initiative launched in May 2006. Capito credited the investigative work of Homeland Security Investigations and the Fayette County Sheriff's Office, and encouraged anyone with information relevant to the case to contact the sheriff's office at (304) 574-4268. The charges are allegations, and the case remains pending. No trial date has been set.

Earlier reports

Aug 19, 2026, 6:05 p.m. ET
Federal Grand Jury Indicts Former West Virginia Delegate David Elliott Pritt
According to official records from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of West Virginia released on August 19, 2026, a federal grand jury indicted David Elliott Pritt, 36, of Oak Hill, on three felony counts. U.S. Attorney Moore Capito announced the indictment, which charges Pritt with sexual exploitation of a child, coercion and enticement of a child, and tampering with a witness, victim, or informant. Because the matter is at the charging stage, the allegations remain undecided, and Pritt is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The indictment alleges that from in or about March 2024 through in or about January 2026, Pritt attempted to and did persuade, induce, entice, and coerce a minor female to engage in sexually explicit conduct. It further alleges that from in or about June 2025 through in or about January 2026, he did so for the purpose of producing visual depictions of the conduct using cellular networks and the internet. Official records also allege that on or about June 20, 2026, Pritt attempted to intimidate and corruptly persuade the minor female to prevent her from communicating information regarding a possible federal crime to law enforcement.
At the time of the alleged offenses, Pritt was employed as a teacher with Fayette County Schools and served in the West Virginia House of Delegates representing a Fayette County district. Following his arrest on July 22, 2026, Pritt resigned from the West Virginia Legislature, and the Fayette County Board of Education suspended and then terminated his employment. The case, docketed in federal district court as Case No. 2:26-cr-97, was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Fayette County Sheriff's Office under Project Safe Childhood. It is assigned to U.S. District Judge Irene C. Berger and U.S. Magistrate Judge Omar J. Aboulhosn, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Rada Herrald prosecuting.
Aug 19, 2026, 5:51 p.m. ETFirst report
Federal Grand Jury Indicts Former West Virginia Delegate David Elliott Pritt
On August 19, 2026, United States Attorney Moore Capito announced that a federal grand jury in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia indicted David Elliott Pritt, 36, of Oak Hill, on three felony counts. According to official records from the U.S. Attorney's Office, the charges allege sexual exploitation of a child, coercion and enticement of a child, and tampering with a witness, victim, or informant.
Official court documents allege that between approximately March 2024 and January 2026, Pritt attempted to and did persuade, induce, entice, and coerce a minor female to engage in sexually explicit conduct, producing visual depictions using internet and cellular networks from June 2025 through January 2026. The indictment further alleges that on or about June 20, 2026, Pritt attempted to intimidate and corruptly persuade the minor female to prevent information from being communicated to law enforcement.
Pritt was arrested on July 22, 2026, following an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations and the Fayette County Sheriff's Office. Official records state that at the time of the alleged offenses, Pritt was a teacher with Fayette County Schools and a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates representing a Fayette County district. Following his arrest, Pritt resigned from the legislature, and the Fayette County Board of Education suspended and then terminated his employment. United States Attorney Moore Capito encouraged anyone with relevant information to contact the Fayette County Sheriff's Office at (304) 574-4268.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Rada Herrald as part of Project Safe Childhood, and is assigned to U.S. District Judge Irene C. Berger and U.S. Magistrate Judge Omar J. Aboulhosn. The matter remains at the charging stage and is undecided. An indictment is merely an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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Revision history

Version 822 Aug 2026, 08:52current
Updated to reflect the official announcement date and clarify the source of the indictment.
Version 722 Aug 2026, 07:52
Updated to reflect the official announcement date as August 19, 2026, and noted the conflicting report from wamc.org of August 20, 2026.
Version 621 Aug 2026, 20:52
Updated to include the official press release as a source and clarified the date of the announcement.
Version 521 Aug 2026, 15:52
Updated to reflect the official announcement date and clarify the charging stage.
Version 421 Aug 2026, 10:22
Added explicit statement that the case is at the charging stage and has not been resolved, and that the charges are allegations. Added 'The charges are allegations, and the case remains pending. No trial date has been set.' to the end. Updated dek to include 'The charges are allegations, and the case remains pending.'
Version 321 Aug 2026, 04:53
Updated to reflect the official announcement date and corrected the indictment date to August 19, 2026.
Version 220 Aug 2026, 19:24
Federal Grand Jury Indicts Ex-Teacher and Former State Legislator on Child Sexual Exploitation, Enticement and Witness Tampering Charges
Version 119 Aug 2026, 21:53
First published.
Version 119 Aug 2026, 21:51current
First published.
Version 119 Aug 2026, 22:05current
First published.

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