Federal Grand Jury Indicts Former West Virginia Delegate David Elliott Pritt
A federal grand jury in West Virginia has indicted former state lawmaker and teacher David Elliott Pritt on three felony charges involving child sexual exploitation and witness tampering.
3 reports on this incident · first at Aug 19, 2026, 5:51 p.m. ET
Earlier reports
Aug 19, 2026, 5:53 p.m. ET
Federal Grand Jury Indicts Former West Virginia Delegate David Elliott Pritt
A federal grand jury 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 the announcement issued August 19, 2026, by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of West Virginia.
The case is at the charging stage and has not been resolved. No trial has been held and no verdict or plea has been entered. As the U.S. Attorney's Office states in its announcement: "An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law."
According to that record, 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 that from in or about June 2025 through in or about January 2026 he did so for the purpose of producing visual depictions of such conduct using the internet and cellular networks. The indictment 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 about a federal crime to a law enforcement officer.
Pritt was arrested on July 22, 2026, following an investigation, the announcement states. 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. 2:26-cr-97. 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.
Status note: These are allegations only. The prosecution remains pending as of the August 19, 2026 announcement, and this account reflects the case only as of that date. Pritt is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
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 119 Aug 2026, 21:53current
First published.
- Version 119 Aug 2026, 21:51current
First published.
- Version 119 Aug 2026, 22:05current
First published.
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