Who’s involved in the Crystal Rogers case? 12 people to know and how they’re connected
The investigation into the disappearance of Crystal Rogers began over eight years ago when she was reported missing by her mother.
Since that time, many people have been linked to the investigation — properties have been searched, police interviews conducted and two people were recently charged.
With the case heading to court this week, many more figures are expected to be involved in the case, from law enforcement officers to family members to the judge who will oversee court proceedings.
Here’s a rundown of the key figures connected to Rogers’ case:
Crystal Rogers
Rogers was first reported missing by her mother, Sherry Ballard, on July 5, 2015. She was last seen two days prior and hadn’t been heard from since.
The day she was reported missing, her Chevrolet Malibu was found abandoned on the Bluegrass Parkway with a flat tire. Her keys, phone and purse were inside the car, according to the FBI.
Rogers is presumed dead, authorities have previously said, but her body has never been found.
Rogers was a 35-year-old Kentucky mother of five children. Brooks Houck, who has been charged with murder and tampering with physical evidence in the case, is the father of one of her children.
Rogers is the daughter of Sherry and Tommy Ballard.
Brooks Houck
Brooks Houck was named the main suspect early on in the investigation and was recently arrested in the case. The indictment against Houck alleges he, “acting alone or in complicity with another, committed the offense of murder by intentionally or under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to human life wantonly causing the death of Crystal Rogers.”
A $10 million bond was issued for Houck, according to court records. His lawyer asked for a bond reduction to $500,000 and a judge will address that motion during Thursday’s arraignment.
Rogers and Houck were dating at the time of her disappearance and it’s believed that Houck was the last person to see her alive, officials have previously said. They had a child together who was raised by Houck after Rogers’ disappearance, according to the family.
Brian Butler, Houck’s attorney, said his client cooperated with law enforcement during the investigation. Houck agreed to police interrogation and took a polygraph test, which showed no signs of deception when he denied wrongdoing related to Rogers’ disappearance.
Houck runs a successful business in Nelson County that employs many local citizens, according to Butler. Butler also described Houck as a loving father and family man.
The Houck family has deep roots in Nelson County, Butler said.
In 2018, Houck was charged with eight counts of theft but was later acquitted in a jury trial in Nelson County. WDRB in Louisville reported that Houck had been accused of stealing roof shingles from a local Lowe’s. It was previously the only time Houck had faced felony charges.
Joseph Lawson
Joseph Lawson, 32, has been indicted on charges of criminal conspiracy to commit murder and complicity to tampering with physical evidence, according to court records. Lawson’s attorney, Kevin Coleman, confirmed to WDRB and other Louisville-based media outlets the charges are related to Rogers’ case.
Lawson was indicted in early September, prior to Houck’s arrest.
He has addresses listed in Bardstown and Willisburg in his court documents. He has not previously been publicly identified as a suspect in the case.
Lawson has been involved in other criminal incidents. He was on probation for a separate case when a motion was filed in August to revoke his probation because he’d been accused of violating conditions of his release. He’s also been convicted of fourth-degree assault, facilitation to strangulation and facilitation to unlawful imprisonment, according to court records.
According to WDRB, Lawson is paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair as a result of a previous motorcycle incident.
Sherry Ballard
The investigation into Rogers’ disappearance began in July 2015 when Ballard reported her missing. Since then, Ballard has organized many searches for her daughter and continued to be a vocal figure in the quest for justice.
In February 2021, Ballard was denied visitation with her grandson by a Nelson County judge and sole custody was given to Brooks Houck. She previously said she was devastated by the ruling.
“His brothers and sisters deserve to see him,” Ballard said. “It’s not right.”
Ballard was also married to Tommy Ballard.
‘I think they are getting close.’ Crystal Rogers’ mother waits for results from FBI search
Tommy Ballard
Tommy Ballard, 54, was shot by an unknown assailant while preparing for a hunting trip with his 12-year-old grandson on family property next to the Bluegrass Parkway. Ballard was hit in the chest and died instantly, according to his FBI homicide victim profile.
Ballard created the Facebook page Team Crystal. He was the father of Crystal Rogers and spouse to Sherry.
Tommy father, Till Ballard, said he believes his son’s and Rogers’ deaths are related. His case remains unsolved and ongoing.
Nick Houck
Nick Houck is Brooks Houck’s brother and a former Bardstown police officer who was fired for interfering with the investigation, the Kentucky Standard reported. Nick Houck allegedly called his brother when he knew he was being questioned by a Nelson County sheriff’s deputy in the missing-person case.
He was previously served a search warrant at 730 Pulliam Avenue, the home of his grandmother, Anna Whitesides. Former Nelson County Sheriff Ed Mattingly previously said the search warrant was part of the investigation into the disappearance of Rogers.
Rose Mary Houck
Rose Mary Houck has never been named in the investigation but her property on Paschal Ballard Lane has been the subject of many searches in the past. The first search was conducted in August 2016 by the Nelson County Sheriff’s Office.
Approximately four years later, investigators returned to the Houck family farm for a second search after the FBI took over the investigation. More than 150 state and federal law enforcement officers executed nine federal search warrants.
A third search of the farm happened in October 2022. Cadaver dogs and excavating machinery were used during the search of the 30-acre property.
Crystal Maupin
Crystal Maupin was arrested in 2017 for allegedly stealing a sign in support of the Ballard family. Surveillance footage at a gas station showed Maupin pumping gas at the store, then pulling around, exiting the vehicle and taking the sign. A transaction receipt for the gas came back to a MasterCard for Brooks Houck, according to the complaint warrant.
Many other signs were stolen or damaged but the warrant states no other proof has been offered to connect Maupin to the other thefts.
Circuit Judge Charles C. Simms III
Charles C. Simms, of Bardstown, is the chief circuit court judge for the 10th Judicial Circuit. Simms will preside over Houck’s case.
The 10th circuit includes Hart, LaRue and Nelson counties, according to the state’s website. He was re-elected without opposition in 2014 in the general election.
Simms received his undergraduate degree from Transylvania University and his law degree from the University of Kentucky College of Law.
Before he became a judge, Simms served as an assistant commonwealth attorney. Simms is a member of the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet, according to the cabinet’s website.
Shane Young, special prosecutor
Shane Young is the commonwealth attorney for the 9th Judicial Circuit out of Hardin County. Young was appointed by Attorney General Daniel Cameron in January to serve as the special prosecutor for several high profile, unsolved murder cases out of Bardstown including the cases of Crystal Rogers, her father, and former Bardstown Police officer Jason Ellis.
Young replaced Nelson County Commonwealth’s Attorney Terry Geoghegan. When asked why the change was made, the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office issued a statement to media outlets:
“The Office of Attorney General has made some administrative adjustments in the case in order to streamline a continued effort toward justice for the victims, their families, and the people of Nelson County. These minor alterations clarified lines of authority in order to make the combined efforts of the dedicated law enforcement officials involved more efficient in pursuing an investigation.”
Young is from Paducah and served in the U.S. Navy. He attended law school at the University of Louisville and worked in narcotics prosecution. In 2013 he became the Hardin County Commonwealth Attorney, according to an oral history interview with the University of Kentucky.
Neither the attorney general’s office or Young have responded to the Herald-Leader’s requests for comment.
Brian Butler, attorney for Brooks Houck
Houck is represented by Brian Butler of Louisville. When contacted by the Herald-Leader, Butler declined to comment.
According to his website, Butler began his career as a Judge Advocate General with the United States Navy in 1995 and served as both a prosecutor and a defense attorney. In 1999, Butler served as the assistant commonwealth attorney and chief of a General Trial Unit with the Commonwealth of Kentucky Attorney’s office. Butler also served as adjunct faculty at the National Advocacy Center in Columbia, S.C., where he taught trial advocacy to prosecutors from every jurisdiction in the U.S.
He later served as assistant U.S. attorney where he prosecuted federal crimes and served as the Gang Crimes Coordinator for the Western District of Kentucky. Butler left public practice in 2007 when he became a member of Dathorne & Butler, according to his website.
Butler has tried over 100 jury trials.
Kevin Coleman, attorney for Joseph Lawson
Kevin Coleman is an attorney with a private practice in Louisville with specialties ranging from death penalty and homicide cases to personal injury and civil suits, according to his website.
He was admitted to the Kentucky Bar Association in 2014, according to their website.
Coleman’s career began at the Louisville-Metro Public Defender’s Office where he worked for seven years in the adult trial and capital trial divisions, according to his website.
Coleman received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a minor in philosophy and later graduated from the University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law. He founded the ACLU-KY Chapter of Brandeis School of Law and was active in the American Constitution Society.
According to his website, Coleman is a member of the Kentucky Bar Association, the American Bar Association, the Louisville Bar Association, the National Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys and the Kentucky Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys.
Coleman has not responded to a request for comment.
