FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. — Richard ‘Craig’ Tadlock had few words as lawyers requested a continuance in the criminal case against the home contractor Tuesday afternoon.
According to charging documents, Tadlock faces six criminal counts including one count for obtaining money by false pretense and five for advance pay and larceny for failure to perform construction.
The 10-minute hearing in a Fairfax County Circuit courtroom captivated an audience filled with nearly a dozen alleged victims of Tadlock and T&S Homebuilders who claim they hired Tadlock to build houses he never finished.
“It gives us confidence in the legal system and in our institutions to see the other victim families here and to see something happen in this case,” said James Ferrell who alleged Tadlock took hundreds of thousands of dollars from him and his wife Jenna and failed to finish construction on their Springfield home.
After the hearing, WUSA9 tried to speak with Tadlock as he waited in the courthouse lobby for transportation. Tadlock refused to come out and speak with us and proceeded to reenter the courthouse and slip away through an obscure exit.
Arvelle West drove from Stafford County for the legal proceedings. West, 68, hired Tadlock to construct a house for her in Locust Grove in 2021. But after significant delays, construction mistakes, and failed inspections, she fired him. Still, her house remains unfinished more than two years after she signed a contract with Tadlock and T&S homebuilders. Construction was scheduled to only take 20 weeks.
West tried to make eye contact with Tadlock in the courtroom, whom she hadn't seen in more than a year.
“[Craig] turned his head and looked the other way. No, it wasn't pleasant at all,” said West.
All parties are due back in court April 30th. If convicted, Tadlock could face years in prison.
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