BARDSTOWN, Ky. — The man most recently arrested in the Crystal Rogers case pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges related her death in his first court hearing in Nelson County Circuit Court.
Stephen Lawson is being held in the Nelson County Jail, charged with conspiracy to commit murder and tampering with physical evidence in connection to the disappearance of Rogers.
It was the first case on the docket in the Nelson County Circuit Court and lasted less than five minutes. Lawson wore an orange jumpsuit and glasses, appearing on video from the nearby jail.
Rogers' family was also in the courtroom for the hearing. Rogers' grandfather Till Ballard said he is not looking forward to seeing the suspect in person, at the next court hearing.
"I don't even want to say. It would be rough, I'll tell ya," Ballard said. "If I could get close to him, better hope the law would hold me back."
Steve Lawson is one of three men charged in this case, along with his son Joseph Lawson and his former employer Brooks Houck.
Steve Lawson's attorney, Ted Lavit, said he has documents proving his client made a deal with police, promising immunity.
"For his testimony, for his cooperation," Lavit said. "For the times he has been at [Kentucky State Police] Post 4 with and without me for the greater part of a year he was offered immunity and we're going to stand on that."
That immunity could be a point of discussion at Steve Lawson's next court hearing, where Lavit said he will ask for a reduction in bond.
He continues to insist his client doesn't know anything about how Rogers died. He said his client's only connection to the case is his connection to Rogers' car, which was abandoned on the Bluegrass Parkway days after she went missing.
Lavit said his client "received a phone call from his son that he broke down, he went out there and picked him up and there was flat tire. Picked his son up, drove back to nelson county."
Lavit said Joseph Lawson drove Rogers' missing maroon sedan to the Bluegrass Parkway. He said he doesn't know why he had the car or where he was going.
Joseph Lawson is facing the same charges as his father. He was the first to be arrested in connection to Rogers' death. He pleaded not guilty to the charges earlier this year.
The Ballard family said they believe Steve Lawson knows more than his lawyer is letting on.
"I think he was involved 100% from day one," Till Ballard said.
They also said Thursday they don't think Steve Lawson will be the last arrest in the case.
"As long as they get three more, we don't care how long it takes," Ballard said.
Lawson's attorney is asking for a reduction in his bond, which is currently set at $500,000. That bond reduction hearing is scheduled for Jan. 4, 2024.
Was Steve Lawson an FBI informant?
Last week, Lawson's lawyer told WHAS11 that Lawson was sharing information with the police in exchange for immunity.
His attorney said Lawson met with the FBI, Kentucky State Police and special prosecutor Shane Young "more than a dozen times" over the last year.
Lavit said Lawson had only met Crystal once, but had conversations about her with her boyfriend Brooks Houck, who Lawson worked for.
Lawson's attorney revealed how he believes Crystal's car was left abandoned on the side of Bluegrass Parkway with her keys, cellphone and purse left inside.
"It was driven out there by Joey. Joey Lawson. He had a flat tire at that mile marker and my client received a phone call, went out and got him, brought him back," Lavit said.
Joey, or Joseph Lawson, is also charged with conspiracy to commit murder and tampering with physical evidence.
What happened to Crystal?
On Fourth of July weekend in 2015, Nelson County mother-of-five Crystal Rogers disappeared. In the eight years since she went missing, her body has not been found; however, she is presumed death.
Soon after her disappearance, detectives questions Brooks Houck about a late-night phone call between himself and Steve Lawson the night that Crystal disappeared.
During this interrogation, Houcks called Lawson for details and claimed that the call was related to rental properties. Houcks told detectives that he'd had to call Crystal about that question, which raised red flags for detectives.
Detective John Snow, who was one of the officials to interrogate Houcks in 2015, said the call between Lawson and Houcks was unusual.
After that initial interview, we didn't hear the name Steve Lawson again for a long time. Now, he's been indicted and tied to this investigation in a meaningful way.
The other suspects in Crystal's disappearance also have court dates coming up. Joseph Lawson is expected in court on Jan. 5, 2024 and Brooks Houck is scheduled to be in court on Feb. 8, 2024.
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