Joseph Lawson was arrested in Nelson County and charged with conspiracy to commit murder and tampering with physical evidence, in connection with the disappearance of Crystal Rogers, according to multiple published reports.
Lawson’s attorney, Kevin Coleman, confirmed these reports with The Courier Journal but declined any further comment. Timothy Beam, a spokesperson for the FBI field office in Louisville, said Friday morning the agency is not commenting on these reports.
A $50,000 bond was set for the case charging Lawson with tampering with physical evidence and a $500,000 bond was set for the conspiracy to murder charge.
Nelson County Jailer Justin Hall said Friday afternoon Lawson is currently in custody as an inmate but his exact location is being withheld, as protected under federal law.
Here’s what we know so far about the investigation.
Who is Crystal Rogers? The young mom’s disappearance sparks national spotlight
Crystal Rogers — a 35-year-old mother of five from Bardstown, Kentucky — was reported missing July 3, 2015. That same day, her car was found abandoned on Bluegrass Parkway with her keys, phone and purse still inside.
Her disappearance immediately sparked alarm in Sherry Ballard, Rogers’ mother who initially filed the missing persons report after not hearing from her since two days prior.
“Crystal was a very good girl. She was a very good daughter,” Ballard told The Courier Journal in past reporting. “She was nice to everyone she met. She even let a friend stay with her because (the friend) didn’t have a place to go. That’s the type of person she was.”
Background:Here’s what we know about missing Kentucky mom Crystal Rogers and the FBI investigation
As noted in the FBI release on her disappearance, Rogers is not known to go anywhere without her children.
Brooks Houck, Rogers’ boyfriend when she went missing and father of her youngest child, told officers that he and Rogers went to his family’s farm the night before she disappeared.
Have there been any suspects?
Houck was identified as an initial suspect in the investigation by law enforcement. Houck has denied involvement with Rogers’ disappearance and has never been charged.
Houck’s brother, Nick Houck, was a police officer with Bardstown Police at the time of Rogers’ disappearance and was fired after interfering in the investigation.
The mayor of Bardstown said Nick Houck phoned his brother when he knew Brooks Houck was being interviewed by detectives, warning that his brother “should protect himself,” and that investigators “might be trying to trip him up,” the Kentucky Standard reported in 2015. City officials held an administrative hearing on Nick Houck’s actions and fired him a day later.
In 2019, a home being built by Brooks Houck was burned down in what city officials said was an arson case.
Where did the FBI search in Bardstown? What ‘evidence’ have they found?
Agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which took over the disappearance case in 2020, have conducted multiple searches in and near Bardstown since Rogers went missing.
In August 2021, agents searched a subdivision where Houck owns properties. Agents reportedly were using a cadaver dog to search the subdivision and a Courier Journal photographer saw investigators using a jackhammer on the driveway of a home. The driveway was reportedly dug up, as agents appeared to be zeroed in on the location. Large chunks of the driveway were hauled out of the neighborhood in construction trucks.
On Sept. 7, 2021, the FBI announced that the search in Bardstown ended, with several “items of interest” sent to a lab in Virginia for testing.
Over the past eight years, the Bardstown farm where Rogers was last seen has been a focal point of the investigation, with the most recent search being conducted in late 2022. The land, which sits on 30 acres, is owned by the mother of Brooks Houck.
“We hope that the evidence collected will move our investigation one step closer to holding accountable the individual(s) responsible for Crystal Rogers’ disappearance,” the agency wrote in an Oct. 2022 tweet. “FBI Louisville, and all of our law enforcement partners, are committed to successfully resolving this case and giving Crystal’s family peace, and more importantly justice.”
No further information has been released on the evidence collected from these searches.
What’s next for Joseph Lawson?
Lawson, who has entered a plea of not guilty, is scheduled for a pretrial conference Oct. 26. As no one else has been charged, Lawson would be the first indictment in connection to the case.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear reacts to arrest
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to thank law enforcement and express his thoughts are with the Rogers family.
“Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with the Rogers family. I’m proud of the hard work and dedication @kystatepolice and our local and federal partners have shown in this case,” Beshear wrote in the post. “The Rogers family has been through the unimaginable, but I hope they know we are all committed to seeking justice for Crystal.”
Where can I report tips about Crystal Rogers?
If you have information related to the disappearance of Crystal Rogers, you can visit crystalrogerstaskforce.com, call the FBI tip line at 1-800-CALL-FBI, contact your local FBI office or get in touch with the nearest American Embassy or Consulate.
The FBI said it is “offering up to a $25,000 reward for information leading to the identification, arrest and conviction of the individual(s) responsible” for Rogers’ disappearance.
Reporters Billy Kobin and Ana Rocío Álvarez Bríñez contributed to this report.