Brooks Houck's arraignment reveals surprising details in Crystal Rogers case
More information about the Crystal Rogers case came to light Thursday as her former boyfriend, Brooks Houck, was arraigned in Nelson Circuit Court.
As Houck watched via Zoom from the Hardin County Jail, his attorney, Brian Butler, argued for his $10 million cash bond to be reduced to $500,000 with GPS monitoring.
He said Houck was a low flight risk, noting that Houck was named as a suspect by police in 2015 and hadn't left the area in the years since then despite the media and public attention that created.
But prosecutor Shane Young said the $10 million bond was appropriate because Houck is a multimillionaire who owns several companies and properties; he presented Houck's property tax assessments to support the argument.
During the hearing, Young said that Houck had family members record secret grand jury proceedings in 2015. Young also said investigators had recovered a gun sold by Houck's brother under an assumed name that could be a match for the murder weapon in the killing of Rogers' father, Tommy Ballard.
Tommy Ballard was killed 16 months after Rogers disappearance as he prepared for a hunting trip with his 12-year-old grandson on family property next to Bluegrass Parkway in Bardstown. An unknown person fired one shot and hit Ballard in the chest, instantly killing him, according to the FBI.
Young noted that Ballard's death is still under investigation. No one has been charged in his death.
Chief Circuit Court Judge Charles Simms did not make any determination about Houck's bond during the arraignment, saying he needs time to review both arguments.
Houck is charged with murder "by intentionally or under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to human life wantonly causing the death of Crystal Rogers," along with tampering with physical evidence.
He has pleaded not guilty.
Houck was Rogers' boyfriend around the time she went missing from Bardstown in 2015. He previously told officers he'd last seen Rogers alive when they visited his family's farm the night before she disappeared.
Rogers, 35, was a mother to five children who is presumed dead though her body has never been recovered. Houck is the father of her youngest child.
After Rogers was reported missing, her car was found abandoned on the Bluegrass Parkway with her keys, phone and purse still inside.
Rogers' grandparents, Edward Till Ballard and Betty Ballard, said before the arraignment that they want to know where Rogers' body is.
“That’s the main thing right now is to find out where her remains are,” Till Ballard said, adding it was both "a good feeling and a sad feeling" when Houck was arrested.
Rosemary Houck, the defendant's mother, left court immediately after the hearing as media tried to ask her for comment.
Houck was arrested at a job site by the FBI in September.
In October 2015, then-Nelson County Sheriff Ed Mattingly named Houck as "the sole suspect in her disappearance," as reported by the Nelson County Gazette. The investigation was initially handled by the Nelson County Sheriff’s Office and Kentucky State Police before the Federal Bureau of Investigation took over the lead investigative role in 2020.
In his motion to have Houck's bond reduced, Butler had argued $10 million is "excessive, punitive, and serves no purpose other than to punish Mr. Houck by keeping him incarcerated while this matter is pending."
If Houck were to continue to be incarcerated until a jury reaches a verdict in the case, Butler said Houck's business will likely fail and his absence will maximize trauma to his son. It would also hinder Houck's ability to assist his legal counsel in his defense, he said.
Houck's next court appearance is slated for Feb. 8 in a pre-trial conference. No trial date has been set.
Reach reporter Rachel Smith at rksmith@courierjournal.com or @RachelSmithNews on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Crystal Rogers case: Brooks Houck arraigned in Nelson County
