Del. Elliott Pritt charged with enticing minor 

By RealWV Staff,

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The now-former Assistant Majority Leader in the West Virginia House of Delegates faces federal charges for enticing a minor using online platforms Roblox and Snapchat. 

Del. Elliott Pritt, a Republican representing Fayette County, is also a school teacher. 

According to the criminal complaint filed Wednesday afternoon by Special Agent Terrence Taylor with the US Department of Homeland Security, the family of a 15-year old female reported to law enforcement that she had been “sexually abused” by Pritt. 

The relationship between the two apparently began when she was in the 8th grade and Pritt taught at the local middle school. They communicated online via Roblox and Snapchat, with Pritt telling the girl that he loved her by the end of the 2024-25 school year. 

Pritt then began sending lewd photos to the 15-year-old girl over the summer and asked her to do the same to him. By the end of 2025, Pritt apparently initiated a physical relationship which occurred between 5-10 times in his classroom. 

In late June 2026, Pritt messaged the girl “asking her not to tell anyone what happened with them,” the complaints says.  

He told her, “The State Police would show up and take your phone and mine and open up hell in our lives. And because of me it would very much not be a low key. It would be in the news. It would be awful. For both of us. And I would lose my entire life.” 

Pritt appeared before a Fayette County magistrate on Wednesday afternoon for an initial hearing. 

House Speaker removes Pritt from leadership role

Reached for comment House of Delegates spokesperson Ann Ali said on Wedensday afternoon, “Speaker Hanshaw has been traveling today, but the sentiment of the House is generally the same, regardless of the specific details. While these are disturbing allegations and we all should be concerned about the welfare of this student, there is a presumption of innocence and a legal process that must be permitted to proceed; the Delegate remains a Delegate unless or until he resigns or the House as a body takes action to remove him from the seat to which he was elected.”

Asked if Pritt would keep his leadership position as appointed by the Speaker, Ali said, “Speaker Hanshaw has stripped members of their committee assignments in the past, as it is the only punishment available to him, but I’ve not been able to talk with him about this specific situation.”

In a comment later released on Wednesday evening, Hanshaw removed Pritt from his leadership role in the House and called on him to resign.

““What Elliott Pritt is accused of doing is shocking, disgusting and disappointing in every way. My heart aches for his family, and if any part of these serious allegations are true, the law should be applied in full force. No child should ever be exploited by anyone, especially by the adults placed in positions of trust and charged with preparing young people, many of whom our statistics tell us unfortunately have no other caring adult figures in their lives. Effective immediately, Delegate Pritt has been removed from all official roles connected with his service as a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates.

“In America, we all enjoy the presumption of innocence, and Delegate Pritt is entitled to that same constitutional protection. Public officials and leaders are, and rightfully should be, held to a higher standard. When the people place their trust in elected officials by entrusting them with the right to hold public office, more than the minimum is expected. The West Virginia House of Delegates simply will not tolerate conduct that even approaches what is alleged in the public filings released by federal law enforcement today. Delegate Pritt deserves the right to defend himself freely and fully in a court of law, but the public and his colleagues deserve more. West Virginia is entitled to representation that is unclouded by serious allegations of criminal behavior involving the exploitation of vulnerable citizens.

“I urge Elliott Pritt, for the benefit of his family and the people of his District, to spare his students and his colleagues at every level the continued embarrassments and distractions and to resign from elected office as soon as he is able.”

Pritt’s unlikely political career

Pritt had an unlikely road to Republican leadership in the House. He ran for House of Delegates in Fayette County as a self-avowed socialist with the Mountain Party in 2018, but he only garnered 6% of the vote. 

Then in 2022, he ran for House again. This time, he ran as a Democrat and prevailed against incumbent Republican Austin Haynes, who was accused of sexual misconduct shortly before the general election. Pritt won with 52% of the vote. 

Pritt said of Haynes on his own social media account about his sexual misconduct accusations, “No one is perfect, but there are some mistakes and lapses in character and judgement that just cannot be overlooked or ‘go away’.”

“Mr. Haynes has never answered for the accusations of sexual harassment, asking for sex for bill sponsorships, or the numerous other instances where individuals reported sexual harassment or inappropriate messages. This amounts to actual serial behavior if true.”

Then in 2023, Pritt switched to the Republican party while in office. At the time, he said, “It has become more and more obvious that there is a very little room in the party for traditional values or differences regarding political opinion — we are being pushed out. The values, beliefs, and way of life that the people of Southern West Virginia and Fayette County hold dear are no longer compatible with the trajectory of the Democratic Party.”

Pritt has been outspoken on child welfare issues during his tenure in office. In an op-ed he wrote in the fall of 2025, Pritt spoke to his own motivations for prioritizing those issues when he wrote, “We are our brother’s keeper. That is what our faith teaches us. That is the Christian way—we are our brother’s keeper.” 

He said, “I have a vote, and I have letterhead. I am going to start using them. The men and women that I serve with truly care about the children of this state; we have to start doing better. Nothing else should come before our children.”

During a heated debate on Raylee’s law, which would have prohibited public schools from approving a homeschool petition if there is a pending child abuse or neglect case, Pritt told his colleagues who were opposed to the bill, “We have a moment here to do something to protect children that are in harm’s way. That is a fact, and I’m very sorry if that fact is very uncomfortable for some of you to deal with.”

Pritt is currently on the ballot for reelection this fall. He will face Democrat Matthew Anderson. As of publishing time, Pritt has not made a public statement pertaining to the charges or his political office.