WV delegate arrested on federal charge of enticing minor

A West Virginia state lawmaker and high school teacher has been arrested and federally charged with enticing a minor following allegations that he groomed a student through online platforms before engaging in a sexual relationship with her. David Elliott Pritt, 36, a Republican member of the West Virginia House of Delegates and an assistant majority leader, was arrested on July 22, 2026, and faces one count of enticement of a minor.

According to a federal criminal complaint, the investigation began on July 9, 2026, after the family of a 15-year-old girl reported that Pritt had sexually assaulted her. The complaint alleges Pritt first contacted the girl during the 2024-2025 school year, when she was in eighth grade, using the online gaming platform Roblox. Their communications later moved to Snapchat, where conversations became increasingly personal.

By the end of that school year, Pritt allegedly told the girl he loved her. The complaint states that during the summer of 2025, Pritt sent the victim an inappropriate photograph of himself and began requesting explicit images from her, with his requests becoming more explicit over time. The victim told investigators that between...