BARDSTOWN, Ky. — There's been another shocking twist and it has revealed more for Bardstown residents who have on edge for eight years. Now, they see the wheels of justice starting to move for the Ballard family.
Missing Crystal Rogers billboards are still posted around Bardstown with Brooks Houck as the main suspect.
"I was just really hoping for some answers for the family that way they can get some closure," community member Kaleb Townsell said.
The Ballard family learned in a shocking court appearance a new fact: prosecutors have the gun that they believe was used to kill Tommy Ballard, Crystal Rogers' father, in 2016.
Ballard was the leader of the search for his daughter. Prosecutors said they purchased the gun from Nick Houck, Brooks' brother.
Nick was a former Bardstown Police officer. He was fired after then Police Chief Rick McCubbin said he interfered in the investigation.
"Him being a former police officer doesn't really affect my opinion of the police force," Townsell said. "I know there's bad apples everywhere and it doesn't affect the whole police force entirely."
Several people in the community said they hope this justice will give the Ballard family the peace they need.
"I think for the family we are just praying and believing that justice will be done, they deserve that, they need to find out the truth," community member Brenda Bewley said.
People in Bardstown are at ease knowing new details are starting to emerge, and they said it's been a long time coming.
"Hopefully they can get the answers that they so desperately have been trying to find over these past eight years and we are going to believe in the justice system to give that to the Ballards," Bewley said.
Bewley and so many others are hoping for peace to resonate through Bardstown.
"That's all we want for the Ballards' is for them to get to the end of this journey because boy it's been a journey what they've been through," she said.
Until then many in the community are standing firm behind the Ballard family.