BARDSTOWN, Ky. (WHAS 11) - Nelson County Sheriff Ed Mattingly said that Crystal Rogers, a woman missing from Nelson Co. since July, is now presumed dead and her boyfriend, Brooks Houck, is the main suspect.
BARDSTOWN, Ky. (WHAS11) – Crystal Rogers family and friends sat in the back of the room Friday as city attorney Tim Burke announced the mayor's order to fire Nick Houck from his position as a Bardstown police officer.
Rogers Uncle Mike Ballard said, "I think we got some answers that we were looking for and as far as the family's concerned we've been waiting for this for a while now."
The mayor said the decision comes after closed hearing Thursday morning where Houck was found guilty of interfering with an ongoing investigation into the disappearance of Crystal Rogers.
Related: Bardstown P.D. fires Houck for interfering with Rogers investigation
He said Houck made a phone call to his brother, warning him about an interview the sheriff's department planned to conduct, he also failed a polygraph exam and then refused to cooperate for an interview also with the Nelson County sheriff's department.
All of which are things Bardstown Police Chief Rick Cubin said are unacceptable.
"I was less than impressed, I was bothered by some of the actions that were displayed and though they were addressed the best we could make them – he was done in my opinion," McCubbin said.
Nelson County Sherriff Ed Mattingly said in his eyes, Houck was done a while ago.
"Had he worked for this agency, he would've been fired the first day," Mattingly said.
The Sherriff also said he doesn't have enough evidence to make an arrest, but he does have eight pages of "circumstances" that make him believe Hauck's brother Brooks is responsible for Rogers disappearance and that Nick Hauck knows what happened – making Brooks the main suspect and Nick a person of interest.
Friday the family said they were praying for closure after more than three-months of unanswered questions.
Sherriff Mattingly said he too hopes the investigation is nearing its end but that for now it's "safe to say" Rogers is dead and officers will continue working to find out how she got that way.
Bardstown City Attorney Tim butler said Nick Houck has 30 days to appeal his termination and the Bardstown police chief says Houck will not be back on the force in his town as long as he is chief.
