Contractor pleads guilty to construction fraud in Augusta County
STAUNTON — The owner of a Harrisonburg company pleaded guilty Friday to two felony counts of construction fraud in Augusta County Circuit Court in a case where two families saw projects go unfinished.
Paul G. Norrell, 32, of Harrisonburg, who ran Rocktown Remodeling, will have to pay back tens of thousands of dollars in restitution.
However, he is still facing charges in Staunton and Page County, according to court records.
In a plea agreement, Norrell's guilty pleas will be taken under advisement for five years while he pays restitution in the Augusta County case. If he makes the payments and stays out of legal trouble, the felony charges will be dismissed.
Augusta County Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Kyle Powers said Norrell entered into a contract in 2021 for a remodeling job and addition. However, the family lost contact with Norrell and he never completed the job, Powers said.
In 2022, Norrell collected $38,880 for a remodeling project in the county, Powers said, but he abandoned that deal as well.
The restitution amount in the 2021 case is still unresolved but a final figure is expected to be decided on at a scheduled Jan. 4 sentencing hearing for Norrell, who is being represented by Trey Raines of the Staunton Public Defender's Office.
The two guilty pleas prompted the cancellation of a scheduled jury trial for Oct. 27.
Norrell still faces felony charges of construction fraud and obtaining money by false pretenses in Staunton, along with a misdemeanor charge of contracting without a license, court records show. Earlier this year, Sgt. Butch Shifflett, a spokesperson for the Staunton Police Department, said Norrell contracted with a city resident to put an addition on their home. According to Shifflett, $29,000 worth of work allegedly was not completed.
Norrell is also facing a charge of construction fraud in Page County, court records show.
He remains at the Central Virginia Regional Jail in Orange.
Brad Zinn is the cops, courts and breaking news reporter at The News Leader. Have a news tip? Or something that needs investigating? You can email reporter Brad Zinn (he/him) at bzinn@newsleader.com. You can also follow him on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Contractor pleads guilty to construction fraud in Augusta County
