CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Former Fayette County Delegate Elliott Pritt pleaded not guilty Monday to three federal charges during a brief hearing in U.S. District Court in Charleston.
Pritt, 36, was indicted last week on charges that federal prosecutors say stem from alleged grooming of a 15‑year‑old girl while he was employed as a teacher with Fayette County Schools. The indictment includes counts of sexual exploitation of children, coercion of a minor for sex, and witness intimidation.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Omar Aboulhosn accepted Pritt’s plea and scheduled the case for trial on October 5 before U.S. District Judge Irene Berger. Aboulhosn will hear pretrial motions on September 16.
Pritt’s court‑appointed attorney, Wesley Page, told the court that Pritt will not challenge his continued detention at this time. Page said Pritt may seek bond later if he is accepted into a Veterans Administration residential program. Pritt is currently being held at the Carter County Detention Center in Kentucky.
Since his arrest earlier this summer, Pritt has resigned his seat in the House of Delegates, withdrawn from the November General Election, and been terminated by the Fayette County Board of Education.
