Report: Man arrested, charged in connection to the disappearance of KY mom Crystal Rogers
A Nelson County man has been charged in connection to the disappearance and presumed death of Bardstown mom Crystal Rogers, according to WDRB and court records.
Joseph Lawson, 32, faces charges of conspiracy to murder and complicity to tampering with physical evidence, according to court records. Lawson’s attorney, Kevin Coleman, confirmed to WDRB that the charges are related to Rogers’ case.
When asked for more information Friday, Lawson said he has “no further comment beyond what has already been reported.”
Lawson was indicted on the complicity to tampering with physical evidence charge in June. The indictment for the conspiracy to murder charge came approximately one month later, according to court records. Lawson pleaded not guilty to both charges during an arraignment Thursday.
Lawson’s indictment says he “agreed to aid one or more persons in the planning or commissions 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 indictment doesn’t mention Rogers’ name but says the crime happened on July 3 and/or July 4, 2015 in Nelson County. Rogers was reported missing by her mother on July 5, 2015.
The indictment also says Lawson destroyed, mutilated, concealed, removed, or altered physical evidence with the intent to impair its verity or availability in the official proceeding.
Shane Young, the commonwealth’s attorney in Hardin County, has been appointed as a special prosecutor in the case, according to online court records. An FBI agent and a Kentucky State Police detective have been listed as complaining witnesses in Lawson’s court files.
A spokesperson for the FBI declined to comment on Lawson’s indictment and didn’t elaborate on whether investigators have arrested any other suspects.
Lawson’s bond is set at $500,000 for the conspiracy to murder charge and $50,000 for the complicity to tampering with physical evidence charge, according to court records. He is due back in court in October.
The FBI, along with other law enforcement agencies in Kentucky, have conducted several searches for evidence in Rogers’ disappearance.
The latest search took place in October when FBI officials searched a farm belonging to the Houck family. The search lasted multiple days and evidence was collected, the FBI said.
Brooks Houck, Rogers’ boyfriend at the time of her disappearance, is believed to be the last person who saw her. Law enforcement named him a suspect early in the case, but he has never been charged with anything in connection to Rogers’ disappearance.
Authorities previously searched the Houck farm before in August 2020. Local law enforcement also searched the property two months after Rogers was reported missing.
In addition to an investigation into Rogers’ disappearance, the FBI is also investigating the death of Rogers’ father, Tommy Ballard. Ballard was shot and killed by an unknown subject while hunting with his grandson in 2016, according to law enforcement.
He had been trying to get answers regarding his daughter’s disappearance and created “Team Crystal,” a group of community members dedicated to finding his daughter, according to the FBI.
Till Ballard, Tommy Ballard’s father, told the Herald-Leader Friday he hopes this arrest provides breakthroughs in both cases.
The Facebook page for Team Crystal posted to social media asking people to pray for the Ballards and thanking people for their support.
