Nick Houck, brother of Brooks Houck, charged with perjury, Kentucky police say
The brother of a Bardstown man convicted for the murder of Crystal Rogers has been arrested and charged with felony perjury.
Nick Houck, 46, was arrested around 1:30 p.m. Thursday on a charge of perjury between 2015 and 2023, according to Kentucky State Police.
It is unclear if the charges are related to the disappearance and presumed death of Rogers, a missing Kentucky mother whose case was under investigation for about a decade before Houck was found guilty.
Brooks Houck was the former boyfriend of Rogers, who disappeared July 3, 2015. He was believed to be the last person to see her alive, investigators have said.
Rogers’ body has never been found.
A jury convicted Brooks Houck for murder — accomplice or principal — and evidence tampering at the conclusion of a 10-day trial in July 2025.
Steven Lawson, 51, and his son Joseph Lawson, 34, were also convicted by a jury for conspiracy to commit murder and evidence tampering.
All throughout the three men’s trials, special prosecutor Shane Young continuously pointed the finger at Nick and Rosemary Houck, and alleged they helped Brooks Houck murder and cover up Rogers’ death and disappearance. Neither faced charges at the time. Rosemary Houck is the mother of Nick and Brooks Houck.
Allegations before, during Brooks Houck’s trial
The first court-recorded allegations against the Houck family came during Brooks Houck’s arraignment, shortly after his arrest in October 2023.
Rosemary and Nick Houck were accused of recording their grand jury testimony in September 2023 in the lead-up to Brooks Houck’s arrest, which is illegal. Young argued that Brooks Houck should not receive a bond because he had strong ties with these family members.
The two were not charged over the grand jury recordings because the statute of limitations had run out by the time the issue was discovered, according to Young. Rhonda McIllvoy, Brooks Houck’s sister, testified that family members recorded testimony because they were paranoid.
Young also accused Nick Houck in court of selling the firearm that killed Tommy Ballard, Rogers’ father, in 2016. Ballard was shot and killed while hunting, and a suspect has never been publicly named in his death. During early court proceedings in Brooks Houck’s case, Young said Nick Houck sold the firearm to an undercover agent, and it fit four out of five criteria to match the murder weapon.
During Brooks Houck’s trial, prosecutors repeatedly asserted that Rosemary and Nick Houck played a heavy role in Rogers’ death.
Charlie Girdley, a former worker of the Houcks, testified in court that Rosemary Houck asked him if he knew anyone who could “get rid of” Rogers a few weeks prior to her disappearance.
Prosecutors told jurors Rogers is thought to have died at the Houck family farm on Paschal Ballard Lane in Nelson County.
On the day leading up to Rogers’ disappearance, Brooks Houck spent the day at the Houck family farm, which he did not disclose to police, according to court testimony.
Nick Houck’s phone was off from July 2, 2015, to July 4. His former girlfriend testified she could not get ahold of him and that he was required to have his phone on because he was a member of the Bardstown Police Department, according to court testimony.
The week after Rogers went missing, neighbors testified in court they Houck and Rogers said they saw Nick and Rosemary Houck at the house every day. In one instance, a woman saw Rosemary Houck loading white bags into Nick Houck’s police cruiser late at night, according to court testimony.
She also testified she saw Rosemary Houck pulling up purple flowers Rogers had planted.
Prosecutors presented testimony and evidence that Nick Houck helped his grandmother, Anna Whitesides, sell a white Buick that was seen near the Houck family farm the night Rogers’ went missing.
The sales manager at the dealership said the transaction was odd, because Nick Houck insisted the man could not look inside the car or trunk until he agreed to buy it.
Police would later find a hair that matched Rogers’ profile in the trunk. A search and rescue dog also alerted for the scent of human remains on the trunk of the white Buick.
This story was originally published June 4, 2026 at 3:18 PM.
