Man arrested for rape of step-daughter in Utah
WEST JORDAN, Utah (ABC4) — A 43-year-old man was arrested Thursday on a slew of charges for the years-long rape and sexual abuse of his minor step-daughter in West Jordan, according to West Jordan Police.
The West Jordan man, whose identity is being withheld to protect the victim, was arrested on 10 counts of rape of a child, a first-degree felony; 10 counts of sodomy on a child, a first-degree felony; 10 counts of sexual abuse of a child, a second-degree felony; and 10 counts of lewdness involving a child, a class A misdemeanor.
Police first responded to a call from a woman regarding the sexual abuse of her 12-year-old daughter. The officer learned that the suspect had gotten upset with the child because she did not want to come to his room, prompting a conversation between the child and her mother.
The child then told her mother that she did not want to go to his room “because of what they do,” court documents state, and that “something makes her feel like she’s going to throw up.”
Police conducted a forensic interview with the child, who stated that all the incidents occurred with her step-dad on his bed. Court documents go on to describe multiple methods of sexual abuse perpetrated by the step-father, taking place over the course of years.
Additionally, the step-father had allegedly given names to the different methods, and if he was displeased during the incidents of sexual abuse, “he would get angry,” court documents state. The child stated that the last incident was about 13 days prior.
Detectives located the suspect as he was arriving at work, where he was taken into custody. He agreed to speak with police, and went on to admit to the ongoing rape and sexual abuse of his step-daughter.
He told police that the abuse had occurred about one to three times per week for “a couple years.”
The suspect was booked into Salt Lake County Jail on the charges listed above. No further information is available at this time.
Florida Middle School teacher arrested on child sex abuse charges
WWSB ABC7 News at 6pm
By Thad Randazzo
Published: Jul. 24, 2026 at 12:31 PM PDT
PUNTA GORDA, Fla. (WWSB) - A Punta Gorda Middle School teacher was arrested Friday in connection with a Sarasota County investigation into allegations of child sexual abuse, authorities said.
The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office said Brian L. Pavaluchuk, 40, faces felony charges of capital sexual battery and lewd and lascivious molestation.
Deputies arrested Pavaluchuk on July 24 with assistance from the DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Marshals Task Force in Fort Myers, according to the sheriff’s office.
A Punta Gorda Middle School teacher was arrested Friday in connection with a Sarasota County investigation into allegations of child sexual abuse, authorities said.(Charlotte County Sheriff)
Investigators said Pavaluchuk knew the victim and is accused of sexually abusing the child multiple times between 2014 and 2017. Detectives established probable cause based on interviews, witness statements and recorded admissions, the sheriff’s office said.
Manatee County EMS official faces felony charge after FBI tip leads to investigation
Pavaluchuk is a teacher at Punta Gorda Middle School, according to Charlotte County Public Schools. The allegations did not involve a school setting, district spokesperson Claudette Smith said.
“We are deeply troubled by the arrest made today involving a Charlotte County Public Schools employee,” Smith said. “While this matter did not occur within a school setting, we want to be clear that every CCPS employee is held to the highest standards of professionalism and integrity, both on and off campus.”
Smith said Pavaluchuk has been placed on administrative leave as the district follows its procedures and works with authorities.
The investigation remains ongoing. The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office asked anyone with information about the case or other possible victims to contact its Criminal Investigations Section at 941-861-4900.
West Virginia state lawmaker arrested on sex abuse charges with minor: Feds
The West Virginia House speaker called on Del. David Elliott Pritt to resign
A West Virginia state delegate was arrested and charged with sex assault Wednesday after federal investigators said he allegedly used social media platforms to entice and sexually engage with a teenage student at the school he taught, according to a federal complaint.
Republican Del. David Elliott Pritt, 36, who was the assistant majority leader, was charged with coercion and enticement of a minor and sexual assault in the third degree following a two-week-long investigation by Homeland Security, according to the criminal complaint. U.S. Marshals took him into custody, the complaint said.
The 15-year-old victim's family contacted law enforcement on July 9 and investigators soon discovered the alleged interactions between the girl and Pritt, who had a second job as a teacher, the criminal complaint said.
Pritt, a married father of four according to his bio on the West Virginia Legislature site, allegedly began communicating with the victim between late 2024 and early 2025. He messaged first through the online game Roblox and then through Snapchat when the alleged victim was an eighth-grade student at the middle school where Pritt taught, the criminal complaint said.
The delegate's Snapchat conversations allegedly became more "personal" with the teen as the school year went on, according to investigators.
"By the end of her eighth-grade year, Pritt had told [the victim] that he loved her," the criminal complaint alleged.
During the summer of 2025, Pritt had allegedly begun sending sexually explicit videos and photos of himself to the victim and asked the minor to do the same, according to investigators.
Pritt began teaching at a West Virginia high school starting in the fall of 2025 and he allegedly asked the victim to come to the school and perform sexual acts, the criminal complaint alleged.
The victim allegedly engaged in the sexual activity in his classroom on "approximately five to 10 occasions," until January, the complaint alleged.
Pritt continued to allegedly communicate with the alleged victim on Snapchat until July, the complaint said. At one point in June, Pritt allegedly asked the minor not to tell anyone about their encounters, according to investigators.
He allegedly told the victim, "the state police show up and take your phone and mine and open up hell in our lives," the criminal complaint said, adding that Pritt allegedly told the victim, "I would lose my entire life."
Pritt, who was elected to the West Virginia House of Delegates in 2022 and is up for re-election this fall, is being held in jail, according to court documents. Attorney information was not immediately available.
Representatives for Roblox did not immediately return messages to ABC News for comment on the investigation.
A SNAP spokesperson said in a statement to ABC News that the company is committed to combating child sexual exploitation.
"We enforce our Community Guidelines, invest in technology to help proactively detect and remove violative content, and work closely with law enforcement to support investigations that can bring criminals to justice. We continuously work to strengthen our safeguards and adapt our approach to address emerging threats as bad actors evolve their tactics," the spokesperson said in a statement.
West Virginia House of Delegates Speaker Roger Hanshaw released a statement Wednesday after Pritt's arrest and called on the delegate to resign from office.
"What Elliott Pritt is accused of doing is shocking, disgusting and disappointing in every way. My heart aches for this family, and if any part of these serious allegations are true, the law should be applied in full force," Hanshaw said.
The speaker added that Pritt was removed "from all official roles connected with his service" as a member of the legislature.
"Delegate Pritt deserves the right to defend himself freely and fully in a court of law, but the public and his colleagues deserve more," he said.
Fayette County Schools, which oversees the schools Pritt taught in, told ABC affiliate WCHS Wednesday that it is cooperating with the investigation.
"The safety and well-being of our students and staff remain our highest priority," it told the station.
