A Kentucky judge has lowered the bond for one of three men charged in the disappearance and presumed death of mom of 5 Crystal Rogers.
Steve Lawson, 53, appeared in court last week with his attorneys to argue that his $500,000 bond should be dropped to $20,000, WHAS reported. On Tuesday, Nelson County Judge Charles Simms cut his bond in half, to $250,000.
If Lawson posts bond, requirement to stay out of jail include having no further violations of the law, remaining alcohol and drug free, and having no contact with Rogers’ family or his co-defendants.
Lawson and his son, 32-year-old Joseph Lawson, are charged with conspiracy to commit murder and tampering with evidence, and both were originally given bails of $500,000, where the younger Lawson’s still stands.
Brooks Houck, Rogers’ well-connected and wealthy 42-year-old ex-boyfriend, remains jailed on a $10 million bond, charged with murder and tampering with evidence.
Steve Lawson will also be ordered to stay in the state of Kentucky if he is released from jail.
Simms released new details about Lawson’s arrest in December. He said in his bond ruling that Lawson was told the grand jury was considering indicting him on December 5 and that he didn’t show up for work the next day. Investigators later said he was found at his mother’s home in Indiana.
His attorneys argued that his workplace sent him to Indiana that day and that he was just visiting his mother while he was there. Simms noted there was no testimony to corroborate those claims and said it was “highly suspicious that Lawson wa discovered in another state after being informed of the potential indictment.”
Rogers was last seen on July 3, 2015, at a party on the property owned by Houck’s family. Days later, her car was found abandoned on the Bluegrass Parkway with her keys, phone, and purse still inside, as CrimeOnline reported. Rogers’ body has not been found.
Houck has been the prime suspect almost since the beginning, but he wasn’t arrested until October 2023, just weeks after Joseph Lawson’s arrest.
A trial date has not been set, but a pre trial conference is scheduled for February 8.
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[Featured image: Crystal Rogers/handout]
