BARDSTOWN, Ky. — A Nelson County judge has ruled in favor of reducing bond for one of the men charged with conspiracy to commit murder in Crystal Rogers’ disappearance.
The Bardstown mother was last seen alive in 2015 and has been presumed dead for several years.
Judge Charles Simms approved Steve Lawson’s attorney’s request on Tuesday to reduce his $500,000 bond, but not by how much they originally asked for.
Lawson, the third man arrested in Rogers’ unsolved case, is charged with conspiracy to commit murder and tampering with physical evidence.
Those charges stem from an incident over Fourth of July weekend in 2015, the same weekend Rogers went missing.
His attorney, Ted Lavit, originally asked for the bond to be reduced to $20,000 or a $40,000 real estate bond at a hearing last week.
On Tuesday, Simms ruled to set the new bond at $250,000 cash.
Why reduce bond?
Judge Simms said he chose to reduce the bond after considering the gravity of his charges and Lawson's prior criminal history, which is mostly made up of misdemeanors and minor violations.
The judge noted that attorneys did not argue during last week's hearing on whether Lawson has access to many financial resources that would assist him with running away. He adds that Lawson is considered a moderate flight risk and has a moderate risk to reoffend.
If Lawson's new bond is posted, he'll be required to have no further violations with the law, remain drug and alcohol free, have no contact with any member of Rogers' family or his co-defendants. He also isn't allowed to travel outside the state and must be monitored by Pretrial Services.
New details about Lawson's arrest
In his ruling, Simms revealed new details about Lawson's arrest last December.
He said on Dec. 5, 2023, Lawson was notified about that the grand jury would be considering the conspiracy to murder charge the following day.
The prosecution said Lawson failed to show up to work on Dec. 6, and was later found at his mother's house in Indiana. Defense attorneys argued that Lawson's workplace sent him to Indiana that day, and that he was simply visiting his mother.
Simms said although there is no testimony from witness about whether Lawson worked that day or why he was at his mother's house, he wrote "it is highly suspicious that Lawson was discovered in another state after being informed of the potential indictment."
The judge said if convicted of both charges, Lawson is potentially facing up to 25 years in prison.
During a hearing last week, Lavit argued that his client has been cooperating with authorities since the start of their investigation into Rogers’ disappearance, in exchange for transactional immunity.
According to Lavit, Lawson has had an "extensive amount of contact" with Kentucky State Police investigators, at times with and without counsel.
"[Police] had their way with my client," he said. "They had their time with my client. And we stayed until the end every time."
Lawson's son, Joseph Lawson, is facing similar criminal charges in connection with the Rogers' investigation.
Joseph Lawson’s attorneys are also seeking a bond reduction, but Simms delayed those talks until Feb. 8. Both he and Houck will be in court together for that hearing.
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