BARDSTOWN, Ky. (LEX 18) — One of the men charged in the disappearance of Crystal Rogers in Bardstown was arraigned Wednesday in Nelson County.
Brooks Houck is charged with murder and tampering with evidence in the 2015 disappearance of Crystal Rogers in Bardstown.
A not-guilty plea was entered on his behalf, which is standard at arraignments.
In a motion, Houck’s attorney asked earlier this week that his bond be lowered to $500,000 in full cash. The motion also asked that, if released, Houck be put on GPS monitoring with work release.
The defense and prosecutors argued that motion in court Wednesday.
During the arguments, the prosecutor said that they are doing tests on a firearm purchased from Nick Houck, who they say was using a fake name when he sold the rifle. They said they are running tests because they believe the firearm was used to shoot and kill Tommy Ballard, Crystal Rogers' father.
Nick Houck, Brooks Houck's brother, was a Bardstown police officer who was fired in 2015 after he failed a polygraph test and was suspected of interfering with and not fully cooperating with the investigation into Rogers' disappearance.
The prosecutor also alleged that family members of Brooks Houck secretly recorded closed grand jury proceedings in the case.
The judge did not change Houcks' bond in court, but he's going to review what was said in court and will make a decision at a later time.
Crystal Rogers was reported missing in July of 2015. Since then, the family of the 35-year-old mother of five has hoped for answers, and the search has gained national attention.
Houck was Rogers’ boyfriend and the father of one of her children.
Joseph Lawson, 32, is also charged in the case. He’s charged with conspiracy to commit murder and complicity to tampering with evidence.
Little information has been released about what’s thought to have occurred the night Rogers disappeared or how Lawson and Houck might be connected.
