Longtime corrections officer appointed to WV House following Pritt’s arrest for alleged sex crimes

Gov. Patrick Morrisey on Tuesday appointed William “Bill” Vest of Oak Hill, West Virginia, to fill the House of Delegates seat previously held by Del. Elliott Pritt, who was indicted last week on three federal charges, including the alleged sexual exploitation of a child.

Vest, a longtime correctional officer for the state, will serve in the House for the remainder of Pritt’s term, which ends in January. 

Pritt was first elected as a Democrat to the House in 2022. He switched to the Republican Party in 2023.

He resigned from his House seat last month following his arrest, which stemmed from a federal investigation into alleged sex crimes against a minor. Pritt was initially running for reelection to the seat, which represents Fayette County, but withdrew his name from the ballot earlier this month.

Pritt, a teacher by trade, was arrested on July 22 after the family of a 15-year-old female reported to law enforcement that the child was sexually abused by Pritt. According to a criminal complaint, Pritt, 36, allegedly began communicating with the girl when she was in eighth grade in 2024 through the online game Roblox, then later on Snapchat.

Pritt also allegedly sent sexually explicit photos of himself and requested that the girl send nude photos of herself through Snapchat in 2025 and 2026. Pritt later initiated a physical relationship with the minor and requested that she meet him in his classroom at Oak Hill High School to engage in sexual activity at least five to 10 times, per the criminal complaint.

The grand jury federally indicted him on three charges last week: coercion and enticement of a child, sexual exploitation of a child and tampering with a witness, victim or informant.

Following Pritt’s arrest, lawmakers from both sides of the aisle called for Pritt’s resignation. They urged Morrisey to call a special session to commence impeachment proceedings. Days later — shortly after he appeared in front of a federal magistrate judge and waived his right to preliminary and detention hearings — Pritt sent a one-line resignation letter to House Speaker Roger Hanshaw.

The Fayette County Board of Education previously suspended and terminated Pritt’s employment.

Pritt did not have a challenger in May’s primary election and was set to appear on the November general election ballot. Due to a relatively new law, the state Republican Party is likely unable to fill the vacancy left by Pritt’s withdrawal on the general election ballot. The Democratic challenger in the race is Matthew Anderson, a special education teacher in Fayette County. 

Morrisey said in a news release Tuesday that Vest “brings an extensive background in law enforcement, state corrections administration, and community leadership” to the statehouse and that he “understands the values of hard work and accountability.”

“He will be a strong, reliable voice for his constituents, and I am confident he will serve with distinction in Charleston,” Morrisey continued.

Per the news release, Vest spent more than 30 years working in the West Virginia corrections system before his retirement in 2022. During his tenure, he served as deputy warden and associate warden of security at Mount Olive Correctional Complex and as the acting administrator and superintendent of the Beckley Correctional Center.

He also previously worked as a military police officer and a hospital security officer.

In the spring, Vest ran for a seat on the Fayette County Republican Executive Committee. He initially lost that race, but officially contested the results to the Fayette County Commission. Vest argued that dozens of votes were cast in the closed Republican primary by non-Republican voters, and that the number of votes cast in the specific executive committee race did skew the results. May’s primary election marked the first time in decades that only registered Republicans could vote in Republican primaries across the state.

In July, the Fayette County Commission invalidated the results of the executive committee race after reviewing the evidence brought by Vest. The position and all three candidates running for it, including Vest, will appear again on the November general election ballot for eligible residents to vote on.