LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Brooks Houck, the primary suspect in the disappearance of Crystal Rogers, was arrested Wednesday after being charged with complicity to murder and tampering with physical evidence, according to an indictment in Nelson County Circuit Court.
Houck was arrested "without incident," the FBI wrote in a news release. He was indicted by a grand jury Sept. 20, and the indictment was unsealed Wednesday morning with certain portions redacted.
Just before 11 a.m., Houck was escorted into the Nelson County jail in handcuffs. His bond was set at $10 million, and his arraignment was set for 1 p.m. Oct. 5.
Attorney Brian Butler, who represents Houck, declined to comment. And Special Assistant to the Attorney General Shane Young, who is prosecuting the case, declined to comment. Young is the Hardin County Commonwealth's Attorney.
Rogers was last seen on July 3, 2015. The next day, her car was found on the side of the Bluegrass Parkway with her purse, phone and keys still inside. But there was no sign of the mother of five.
The indictment accuses Houck of "acting alone or in complicity with another" committing the offense of murder of Rogers. He's also charged with tampering when he "destroyed, mutilated, concealed, removed or altered" physical evidence, according to the indictment.
In a 2015 interview with police, Houck was asked if anyone would want to hurt Rogers.
"As far as I know, she's a well likeable person," he responded.
Investigators then told him he was the main person of interest because he was the last known person to see her alive when they were at his family farm the night of July 3. In the interview, Houck said that he, Rogers and their 2-year-old son, Eli, left the family farm around midnight the night of July 3. He said when they got home, he went straight to bed, and Rogers stayed up playing games on her phone. He said that when he woke up on the morning of July 4, Rogers wasn't there.
"I wasn't even alarmed," Houck, said during his police interview.
He has repeatedly denied any involvement in Rogers' disappearance.
"I didn't trust Brooks Houck to begin with," Rogers' mother, Sherry Ballard, said earlier this year. "I know what kind of relationship they had and how he treated her. And the minute that I knew she wasn't in contact with anyone, then that's when I knew something was definitely wrong."
The FBI said its officers have "been laser-focused on our commitment to hold accountable those that were responsible for the disappearance of Crystal Rogers. Today, we take a significant step in making good on that promise."
Ballard has fought for years to keep her daughter's case in the forefront of people's minds, yearning for justice. She said her daughter has missed out on so many milestones in her children's lives, from birthdays and holidays to proms and graduations. Earlier this year, she would have become a grandmother.
"My daughter would have been an excellent grandma," Ballard said earlier this year.
Second Arrest
After eight years of investigation, Houck is the second person arrested this month in Rogers' disappearance. Nelson County resident Joseph L. Lawson pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit murder in Rogers' case.
The Lawson indictment, which does not mention Rogers by name, says the crime was committed in Nelson County on July 3 and/or July 4, 2015, when Lawson "agreed to aid one or more persons in the planning or commission 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." The maximum sentence for the conspiracy charge is 10-20 years in prison.
In addition, the indictment charges Lawson with complicity to tampering with physical evidence when he "destroyed, mutilates, concealed, removed or alters physical evidence." The maximum penalty for that charge is one to five years in prison.
Attorney Kevin Coleman, who represents Lawson, has declined to discuss specifics of the case.
Court files show a Kentucky State Police detective and an FBI agent as complaining witnesses in Lawson's case. Lawson is scheduled to be back in court in front of Nelson Circuit Court Judge Charles Simms III on Oct. 26.
During his arraignment, Lawson was asked by the judge if he understood the murder conspiracy charge and replied, "kind of but yes sir," according to a video of the proceedings. Young told the judge it was a "very complex case" and there was a lot of evidence to be turned over to the defense.
The disappearance of Crystal Rogers has been a mystery since 2015.
"Eight years I've waited for this day to come," Ballard wrote in a Facebook past the day of Lawson's arraignment. "Even though it brings me so much joy to think Justice is coming it also brings the fact that this is real and what my family has been going through the last years is real. ... I honestly think I've felt every emotion that God has given us."
Over the years, the Houck family farm, the homes of Brooks Houck and his brother, Nick, have been searched multiple times, along with a storage unit belonging to Rogers. In 2021, the driveway of a home built by Houck was ripped up by the FBI. And, most recently, in 2022, the FBI was back at the Houck farm for a five-day search.
Evidence collected during the search was sent to the agency's lab in Quantico, Virginia.
The FBI is also still investigating the death of Rogers' father, Tommy Ballard, who was shot and killed in 2016 while hunting on his own property with his young grandson more than a year after Rogers went missing. While police initially called his death a hunting accident, Ballard has said from the beginning that it was no accident. She believes her husband was murdered, and the FBI now calls his death a homicide.
"There's a murderer out there, walking around, that murdered my husband," she said. "I want people to know he's still out there and I'm still pushing for justice."
In a statement on the "Team Crystal" Facebook page Wednesday, Rogers' family thanked police for their work in continuing to pursue justice in the case.
"This morning the Ballard family received word that Brooks Houck was arrested for an indictment warrant after being indicted by a Nelson County Grand Jury. Brooks Houck was named the number one suspect in Crystal’s case in 2015. We want to thank the FBI, Kentucky State Police, Nelson County Sheriff’s Office, Attorney General's Office, Commonwealth Attorney Shane Young and staff as well as the juries. At this time we ask for privacy as this is another step forward for justice for Crystal. Continue to pray that justice is served and we bring Crystal home. We will not be conducting any interviews at this time. We ask any questions or comments be referred to the FBI."
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