LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — In the case of Crystal Rogers, arrests were just a matter of time, but the time seemed to drag on.“It's a very laborious process,” said David Beyer, former FBI agent.
Beyer never worked on Crystal Rogers’ case, but after years with the FBI, including the Louisville division, he knows the ins and outs of an FBI investigation.
“Cases like this can take many years to resolve,” said Beyer. “In this case for instance, there's been some difficulty, I think, to develop sufficient evidence to move forward with some of the search warrants that were conducted."
Search warrants are just one piece at play in the timing of the Crystal Rogers’ investigation. Beyer noted the multi-agency involvement. Alongside local and state police, the FBI took the lead on Crystal’s case, but that wasn’t until five years into the investigation.
“They have to get court orders to do searches, in order to do that they have to establish to a federal judge that they have reasonable belief, facts, evidence of a crime will be found in a certain location, and they have to be very precise in that,” said Beyer.
From warrants to searches to evidence shipped off to the FBI crime lab, Beyer outlined a meticulous process, but one he knows is well worth the wait.
“Eight years does seem like a long time to citizens, but in the end, all the law enforcement agencies involved, including the FBI, want to make sure that if they charge someone, they can prove that case,” said Beyer. “I can tell you from my experience, once the FBI charges someone, there's a high probability that person will be convicted.”
When asked if he anticipated additional arrests, Beyer said, “I feel confident that having men charged like this, that they're making great strides to resolving this matter once and for all.”
