CHARLESTON, WV (WOAY) – On the same day that he waived his preliminary and detention hearings, Delegate David Elliott Pritt stepped down as delegate for the 50th District and will no longer represent portions of Fayette County.
His resignation letter is short, reading in its entirety: “Mr. Speaker, I resign from the West Virginia House of Delegates, effective immediately.”
It follows statewide calls for his resignation and removes the need for a possible special session to remove him from the House, an option supported by a broad majority of state lawmakers.
Pritt, also a Fayette County high school teacher, was suspended by both state and county superintendents and will remain in the custody of the United States Marshals.
Pritt faces a federal charge of enticement of a minor. He is accused of sending and requesting sexually explicit images to a 15-year-old girl and engaging in sexual activity with her in a Fayette County classroom.
“As many of us had requested as soon as these heinous accusations were brought to light, Elliott Pritt resigned from public service today. Our thoughts remain with these families and these victims,” Speaker of the House Roger Hanshaw said in a brief statement.
Attention now turns to the November general election. If Pritt does not enter a plea or go to trial before Aug. 11, he would not be disqualified from the ballot on the basis of a felony conviction.
If he voluntarily withdraws, the Republican Party would not be permitted to replace him on the ballot, due to a state law passed in 2024 by the Republican supermajority in the Legislature.
The only other candidate on the ballot is Mathew Anderson, a Democrat who won his primary unopposed.
