Ex-Fayette County Legislator and Teacher Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography Crime

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - David Elliott Pritt, 36, of Oak Hill, pleaded guilty today to attempted production of child pornography. Pritt admitted that he sought to persuade a minor female to take and send him sexually explicit images of herself.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Pritt communicated with the approximately 14-year-old girl using the Snapchat app beginning in approximately June 2025 and lasting through at least January 2026. As part of his guilty plea, Pritt admitted that during these conversations he sent the girl sexually explicit images of his genitals, told her he loved her and was sexually attracted to her, sought to persuade, induce, and entice her to take sexually explicit images of herself, and asked her to send them to him via the app.

At the time of the offense, Pritt 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 in July 2026, as the result of an investigation, Pritt resigned from the West Virginia Legislature and the Fayette County Board of Education suspended and then terminated his employment. A federal grand jury indicted Pritt on August 19, 2026.

Pritt is scheduled to be sentenced on March 4, 2027, and faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years and up to 30 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. Pritt must also register as a sex offender.

"Parents send their children to school trusting that the adults there will keep them safe. Elliott Pritt violated that trust," said U.S. Attorney Moore Capito. "Today's guilty plea, achieved in consultation with the victim and her family, ensures this predator will serve time in federal prison where he can be held accountable for his heinous actions and his betrayal of public trust. Our hope is that today's plea brings relief to our community but, more importantly, gives the victim and her family an opportunity to heal in privacy as they move forward."

Capito made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Fayette County Sheriff's Office.

"I would like to thank Detective Pack from my agency for his hard work and dedication to the investigation along with the investigators from DHS, and also U.S. Attorney Capito and his office for their dedication to assure the children of West Virginia are a safety priority," said Fayette County Sheriff Jess McMullen. "We take crimes against the exploitation and abuse of our children very seriously. I would like to continue to encourage those that may know more information in this investigation or any other incidents they may be aware of to please come forward and contact the Fayette County Sheriff's Department."

United States District Judge Irene C. Berger presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorneys Jennifer Rada Herrald and Amy L. McLaughlin are prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACERLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. by searching for Case No. 2:26-cr-97.

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