By Eric Cravey
For The Register-Herald
Beckley — A day after making his first appearance in U.S. District Court on charges of enticing a minor, Del. Elliott Pritt has been stripped of his West Virginia teaching credentials.
The Oak Hill High teacher is charged with grooming a 15-year-old using the internet game Roblox and then transitioned to Snapchat where, according to the federal criminal complaint, he shared explicit videos and photographs with the teen whom he first met when he was a middle school teacher in Fayette County.
On Thursday, West Virginia State School Superintendent Michele L. Blatt issued a statement announcing she had entered an order to suspend Pritt’s teaching certification as authorized under West Virginia Code.
“Teachers hold a position of public trust in the school systems in which they teach and the communities that they serve,” Blatt said in the prepared statement. “The allegation that Mr. Pritt engaged in enticement of a minor attending Fayette County Schools, the county in which Mr. Pritt was a teacher, is shocking and disturbing.”
Blatt said if Pritt is convicted or pleads guilty to the charges, state law allows the state superintendent to permanently revoke his certification.
“As a result, we will continue to monitor further developments in the proceedings that are underway in the United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia. Our deepest concerns lie with the student who is alleged to have been enticed and abused by Mr. Pritt. The West Virginia Department of Education fully supports the action of Fayette County School Superintendent Warvel in suspending Mr. Pritt without pay, and the WVDE will support the Fayette County education community during this difficult time.”
According to court documents, the girl told investigators she and Pritt met on numerous occasions in his classroom at Oak Hill High, where Pritt “initiated a physical relationship with her” during late 2025. The complaint says the meetings led to sexual relations in his classroom “approximately five to ten occasions.”
Meanwhile, Fayette County Schools Superintendent David A. Warvel declined to comment on Pritt’s arrest Wednesday under the premise of it still being an active investigation.
“Fayette County Schools is aware of the reported federal charges involving a Fayette County Schools employee,” Warvel said in a prepared statement. “Because this is an active investigation, we are unable to provide additional comment at this time. Fayette County Schools will fully cooperate with law enforcement as the investigation progresses. The safety and well-being of our students and staff remain our highest priority.”
Warvel did not comment on whether Pritt has been relieved of his job or placed on any type of administrative leave while the investigation continues nor whether the Fayette County Board of Education will address the matter at its regular meeting next week.
Pritt is scheduled to be back in federal court in Charleston on July 27 at 2 p.m.
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