Lower Frederick Police. Photo by James Short.
John F. Keevill, of the 1100 block of West Chester Pike in West Chester, Delaware County, was issued a summons on Tuesday charging him with multiple felonies
A Delaware County man who allegedly failed to follow through on a $17,000 home renovation contract is now facing multiple felony charges after police say he took a $10,000 down payment from a local woman and never completed the work.
John F. Keevill, 64, of the 1100 block of West Chester Pike in West Chester, was charged July 10 by Lower Frederick Township Police with felony counts of theft by deception, theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property, deceptive business practices, and receiving advance payment for services and failing to perform, according to court documents.
According to the criminal complaint, a resident contacted police on June 10, 2025, reporting that she had paid Keevill — operating under the name J.F. Keevill Construction, Inc. — $10,000 to begin renovations at her home. The pair had agreed to the project on March 17, 2025, with Keevill providing an estimate and payment schedule via a PDF text message, police said.
Keevill was a client at the victim's salon, police said.
The victim told police she paid Keevill the 60% deposit on March 18 by check, which bank records show was cashed the same day. However, the work was never started, according to investigators.
Keevill later told police he had purchased five vinyl windows for the renovation project, which the victim received but said were the wrong size. Keevill also claimed he would refund $6,000 of the deposit and repeatedly promised to provide a money order, but failed to do so despite several follow-up calls by the investigating officer between June 13 and July 3, the affidavit said.
Police said Keevill changed his voicemail from a business greeting to a personal message and took down or disabled the J.F. Keevill Construction website intermittently, which investigators believe was an attempt to distance himself from the business, police allege.
Despite being given multiple chances to return the funds, Keevill never delivered the refund, police said.
A summons was issued to Keevill on the charges on Tuesday. A preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled for Sept. 2 before Magisterial District Judge Maurice Saylor.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using public court records.
