LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Brooks Houck will stay in jail on a $10 million bond until his trial. Houck was arrested last September and charged with the murder of his girlfriend Crystal Rogers.
A Nelson County grand jury gave him a $10 million bond when they indicted him on two charges- murder and tampering with physical evidence in connection to the weekend Rogers disappeared.
At his arraignment, Houck’s attorney Brian Butler argued his client's constitutional rights were being violated, saying the bond was "unreasonable and oppressive" and called Houck a "low-risk defendant." He filed a motion ahead of Houck’s arraignment to reduce the bond to $500,000 with GPS monitoring and work release.
Ultimately, Judge Charles Simms denied that motion, citing Houck’s vast financial resources, family history of interfering with the investigation and severity of the murder charge.
Butler then filed an appeal with the Kentucky Court of Appeals.
The Court of Appeals reviewed the ruling and issued an order affirming it. The appeals court wrote in the order, "Houck has failed to sufficiently meet the burden of proof demonstrating the bond set is excessive."
The 16-page document also addressed some of Houck’s individual arguments.
The court wrote Houck's core argument is that the $10 million bond is oppressive, but then writes a capital crime like murder is eligible for the denial of bond altogether.
The court also addressed Houck’s claim that he is a low flight risk. The court wrote this is "offset by the trial court's finding that Houck constituted a danger to potential witnesses".
Finally, the court wrote while the bond may be unusually high, the circumstances are themselves unusual.
"When there are indications a defendant and potential accomplices pose a danger to witnesses and to the integrity of the proceedings, a higher bond than that typically set may be warranted," the document states.
Houck is currently being held in the Oldham County Detention Center. He's expected in court next week, along with the two other men charged in the case Joseph Lawson and Steve Lawson.
Court is scheduled for Thursday March 21 at 1 p.m. in Nelson County.
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