Fair. Trusted. Reporting in Rappahannock County and across Virginia’s Piedmont.

Donate

In partnership with the

Castleton man to pay $10,000 in theft of cannons, tractor, camping equipment

by | Nov 28, 2025

One of the antique replica cannons stolen by James Nicholson of Castleton. (Photo/Courtesy)

A Rappahannock County Circuit Court judge ordered a Castleton man Thursday to pay a total of $10,000 to three victims after he was found guilty of stealing a tractor, a trailer of camping equipment and two antique replica cannons, one of which the prosecution said is valued at around $51,000.

James Nicholson, 54, was arrested in April 2024 after a DUI arrest along Richmond Road led to the discovery of the stolen items at his residence, according to court records.

“I did it … and I was high on drugs, too,” Nicholson told Judge Robert Smith before he was sentenced in July. “I’m sorry for it.”

Nicholson pleaded guilty to nine charges, including driving under the influence, grand larceny and destruction of property.

“This is a first for me. I’ve never seen a Napoleon, bronze 12-pounder [cannon], but that’s what we’ve got,” Goff said at sentencing.

Judge Smith accepted the restitution orders Thursday and also approved a request from Nicholson’s attorney, Ryan Rakness, to allow Nicholson to participate in the RSW Regional Jail Workforce program.

Nicholson will serve a total of four years and seven months in prison, with over 75 years of additional time suspended. When he is released, Nicholson will serve three years of probation then must maintain five years of general good behavior.

Author

  • Ireland Hayes

    Ireland joined Foothills Forum as a full-time reporter in 2023 after graduating from the University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication with a degree in journalism and minor in music. As a student, she gained valuable experience in reporter and editor positions at The Red & Black, an award-winning student newspaper, and contributed to Grady Newsource and the Athens Banner-Herald. She spent three years as an editorial assistant at Georgia Magazine, UGA’s quarterly alumni publication, and interned with The Bitter Southerner.
    Growing up in a small town in Southeast Georgia, Ireland developed a deep appreciation for rural communities and the unique stories they have to tell. She completed undergraduate research on news deserts, ghost papers and the ways rural communities in Georgia are being forced to adapt to a lack of local news. This research further sparked her interest in a career contributing to the preservation of local and rural news.
Republish License

Our stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our website. AP and Getty images may not be republished. Please see our republishing guidelines for use of any other photos and graphics.

By Ireland Hayes

Read more articles by Ireland Hayes
Ireland joined Foothills Forum as a full-time reporter in 2023 after graduating from the University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication with a degree in journalism and minor in music. As a student, she gained valuable experience in reporter and editor positions at The Red & Black, an award-winning student newspaper, and contributed to Grady Newsource and the Athens Banner-Herald. She spent three years as an editorial assistant at Georgia Magazine, UGA’s quarterly alumni publication, and interned with The Bitter Southerner. Growing up in a small town in Southeast Georgia, Ireland developed a deep appreciation for rural communities and the unique stories they have to tell. She completed undergraduate research on news deserts, ghost papers and the ways rural communities in Georgia are being forced to adapt to a lack of local news. This research further sparked her interest in a career contributing to the preservation of local and rural news.