LOUISVILLE, Ky. — FBI of Louisville and Kentucky State Police arrested Brooks Houck for the disappearance of Crystal Rogers. They made the announcement on social media.
“FBI Louisville and the Kentucky State Police have arrested Brooks Houck without incident on charges stemming from the Crystal Rogers investigation,” FBI of Louisville said in a statement.
Eight years after Rogers was last seen alive, Houck is charged with one count of murder and one count of tampering with physical evidence. His bail is set at $10 million and has been ordered to have no contact with the Rogers family.
The indictment against Houck alleges the crimes happened on July 3 or 4, 2015 in Nelson County.
Houck was Rogers’ boyfriend at the time of her disappearance and the father of her youngest child. He was the only person ever named publicly as a suspect in her case. He told officers that he had last seen her alive when they visited his family’s farm the night before she disappeared.
Rogers was reported missing by her mother, Sherry Ballard, on July 5, 2015. Her car was found abandoned with a flat tire at mile marker 14 on the Bluegrass Parkway in Bardstown. Rogers’ keys, phone and purse were still inside the red Chevrolet Impala. Houck has denied involvement with Rogers’ disappearance.
Sherry Ballard was at the Nelson County Circuit Clerk's office following Houck's arrest. She told Spectrum News 1 she did not plan to speak about the indictment.
The Facebook group, "Team Crystal," asked for privacy in a post.
Houck was transferred from the Nelson County Jail to the Hardin County Detention Center.
In a statement, State Senator Jimmy Higdon, R-Lebanon, said, “Crystal Rogers’ disappearance is a cross the Rogers and Ballard family has had to bear for almost a decade, and that suffering has been compounded by more questions than answers as to why she’s no longer with us. I hope the latest developments in this case will finally lead to answers for the community, justice for Crystal and closure for the family.”
The news comes after the arrest of Joseph Lawson on Sept. 8 in connection with the case, the first major breakthrough in the yearslong investigation. Lawson, 32, is charged with conspiracy to commit murder and tampering with physical evidence. According to court records, Lawson was charged with tampering in June and murder in July. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The indictment did not mention Rogers by name, but Lawson’s attorney, Kevin Coleman, said his client’s case is connected to the investigation into her disappearance. He declined further comment.
Rogers' body has never been found.
Investigators have searched properties belonging to Houck and his family multiple times over the years.
Last fall, the FBI said evidence found in connection to the Crystal Rogers’ case was being sent to the agency in Quantico, Virginia.
The FBI made several searches in the area as part of the investigation, most recently combing the Houck family farm, where Rogers was last seen, in Oct. 2022.
Houck's arraignment is set for Oct. 5. The circuit clerk says Shane Young, the Hardin County Commonwealth's Attorney is the special prosecutor on this case.