A Kentucky man has been charged in connection to the 2015 disappearance of Crystal Rogers, according to court documents.
On Sept. 7, Nelson County resident Joseph Lawson, 32, pled not guilty to charges of conspiracy to murder and complicity in tampering with physical evidence.
Kevin Coleman, Lawson’s attorney, confirmed to WDRB News that the charges are in relation to Rogers’ case.
Lawson was charged for complicity in tampering with physical evidence on June 21. He was charged with conspiracy to murder on July 24. Lawson was scheduled for an arraignment in August, but was hospitalized before it could take place, according to court documents.
Lawson’s indictment alleges that he “agreed to aid one or more persons in the planning or commissions of the crime or an attempt or solicitation to commit the crime, when he, and/or a co-conspirator, intentionally caused the death of another.” It also states that Lawson destroyed, altered, or removed physical evidence with the intent to hinder its use in court proceedings.
The indictment makes no explicit mention of Rogers, but states that the crime was committed on either July 3 or July 4, 2015.
Rogers, 35, lived in Bardstown, and was the single mother of five children.
Rogers was reported missing by her mother, Sherry Ballard, on July 5, 2015, having not been heard from since July 3, according to the FBI’s website. On the same day Rogers was reported missing, her vehicle was found abandoned with a flat tire along the Bluegrass Parkway. Her cellphone, keys, and purse were still inside the vehicle.
Rogers is presumed dead, but her body has never been found.
Brooks Houck, Rogers’ boyfriend, is believed to be the last person who saw her. Houck was named as a suspect by the Nelson County Sheriff’s Department early on in the case, but Houck has never been charged with anything in connection to Rogers’ case.
Brooks Houck’s brother, Nick Houck, is a former Bardstown police officer. Nick allegedly called Brooks while Brooks was being questioned by the Bardstown Police Department, resulting in his firing for interfering with investigation on Rogers’ case. Nick was served a search warrant in connection to Rogers’ case in August 2016, according to an archived Kentucky Standard clipping that ran in the Lexington Herald-Leader.
Bardstown Police Department turned Rogers’ case over to the FBI in August 2020. Federal agents have continued to investigate Rogers’ disappearance since then.
Most recently, in October 2022, federal agents conducted a search at a Bardstown farm owned by the Houck family. The search lasted multiple days and evidence was collected, according to an update from the FBI Louisville account on X. The Houck farm was searched by the FBI in August 2020, along with several other properties in Bardstown. Local law enforcement also searched the farm in July 2015.
The FBI is also investigating the death of Tommy Ballard, Rogers’ father, who was shot by an unknown individual while hunting with his grandson in November 2016, according to the FBI’s website.
Till Ballard, Crystal Rogers’ grandfather, believes his son’s death is connected to his granddaughters’ disappearance. “Tommy wasn’t going to stop searching,” Till Ballard told the Herald-Leader. “Somebody had to stop him.”
Prior to his death, Tommy Ballard created “Team Crystal,” a community group dedicated to finding answers about his daughter’s disappearance.
“Wow! We didn’t know this was coming . . . . Praise God for this . . . . We pray there is more to come,” a Sep. 8 post on the Team Crystal Facebook page said.
Sherry Ballard, Rogers’ mother, has declined to comment on Lawson’s arraignment. She has been advised not to speak to news outlets, according to WDRB.
Lawson’s bond is set at $500,000 for conspiracy to murder and $50,000 for complicity in tampering, according to court records. Lawson’s arraignment will resume in October.