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Jury trial set in Fletcher construction fraud case

by | Jan 21, 2026

focus on hammer, group of files on judge table covered with dust - concept of pending old cases or work at judicial court.
(Courtesy/Adobe Stock)

Three defendants indicted by grand jury

A two-day jury trial was put on the schedule for August in Rappahannock County Circuit Court Monday for Edward “Eddie” Fletcher Jr., a Flint Hill contractor charged with embezzlement and failure to perform promised construction work relating to a Woodville remodeling job.

Fletcher was arrested last February after Robert and Alexandra McKee ended their construction contract with him and filed charges. The couple alleges he accepted more than $450,000 in advances for a remodel of their Woodville home but failed to complete the work.

Robert McKee testified in earlier court proceedings that he and his wife hired Fletcher to perform the renovation work in March 2023 but by August 2024, little progress had been made and no building permits had been obtained.

Fletcher’s trial was scheduled for Aug. 25 and 26.

Grand jury indictments

A Rappahannock County grand jury returned seven indictments against three defendants Monday, including:

  • Winston Blake Jackson, 40, of Rixeyville, was indicted on four charges — abuse of a child by disregard of life, misdemeanor reckless driving, and eluding and reckless driving by speed — tied to an April traffic incident. He will appear in Circuit Court on May 18 for a one-day jury trial.

  • Robbie Critzer, 49, was indicted on one count of embezzlement connected to a check belonging to Gregory T. Williams. The count will be added to seven other embezzlement charges that will be heard by a jury Feb. 5 and 6.

  • Daniel William Chappell, 34, was indicted on two charges — driving with a revoked license and driving while intoxicated, third offense. He will appear in Circuit Court on March 9 for a plea hearing.

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.
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By Ireland Hayes

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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.