QUICKSIE98.3
This week we get to meet Nacho, a 1 year old boxer/pit mix with red brown fur weighing 34 pounds, and Bluebell, a 1 year old black and white basset hound weighing 55 pounds, two dogs looking for new Furever homes. If you have any questions feel free to reach out to the shelter at 270-769-3428, visit their Facebook page at Hardin County Animal Shelter – Elizabethtown or stop by in person at 220 Peterson Drive in E-town, Monday to Saturday from 12 noon through 4pm. Furever Friends is brought to you by locally veteran-owned, Pet Supplies Plus, at 209 Towne Drive in Elizabethtown.
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The first trial of a suspect in the Crystal Rogers investigation began Tuesday at the Warren County Justice Center, with Steven Lawson going before a jury on charges of Conspiracy to Commit Murder and Tampering with Physical Evidence.
After Judge Charles Simms III denied a final pretrial motion to continue from the defense as well as a motion from Louisville-area media outlets for a pool camera to be permitted in the courtroom, juror selection began with a pool of 37 potential jurors. A 15-person jury, which includes three alternates that will not be part of deliberations, was seated by about 12:30 p.m. Opening statements began about an hour later.
Special Prosecutor Shane Young recapped the days around Rogers’s disappearance, including the last time she was seen by one of her children on July 3, 2015, her mother Sherry Ballard reporting her missing two days later, and the discovery of her car on the Bluegrass Parkway later that day. Young said testimony and evidence will show the role Lawson played in assisting Brooks Houck in moving Rogers’s car and covering up her death.
Defense attorney Darren Wolff said the evidence in the case will show that Steven Lawson is guilty of Tampering with Physical Evidence, specifically citing Lawson adjusting the seat in Rogers’s car when he went to pick up his son Joseph Lawson, who was driving the car on the Bluegrass Parkway when it got a flat tire. Wolff said the evidence on Conspiracy to Commit Murder is nowhere near beyond a reasonable doubt, and said the commonwealth has worked to create a narrative to answer the question of what happened to Rogers in order to close what he said has been called one of the biggest mysteries in Kentucky legal history.
Young’s first witness was Sherry Ballard, who recounted the deterioration of Rogers’s relationship with Houck ahead of her disappearance. Ballard said after not hearing from Rogers she was on her way to file a missing persons report when she spotted Houck near a Bardstown gas station. Ballard said Houck “looked at me like I was talking about a person on the street” and did not go with her to file the report, and she said she knew something was wrong when she saw Houck and Rogers’s young son Eli in the backseat.
Also testifying Tuesday was Detective Jon Snow, who at the time of the disappearance was a detective with the Nelson County Sheriff’s Office and was the lead investigator at the beginning of the case. Snow discussed the early steps of the investigation, including the discovery of Rogers’s car.
The defense did not cross-examine Ballard, and Snow was still on the stand when court was adjourned for the day. The trial will resume Wednesday morning.
The Elizabethtown City Council met for their second meeting of the month Tuesday.
A hearing was held on the city’s Municipal Road Aid funds for the upcoming fiscal year.
“The city currently has $0 carry-over funds in its Municipal Road Funds and will receive approximately $703,918 during the fiscal year 2025,” said Elizabethtown Mayor Jeff Gregory. “The Local Government Economic Assistance Fund has $0 in carry-over funds and will receive approximately $15,000 during the fiscal year 2026.”
That’s Elizabethtown Mayor Jeff Gregory.
City Public Works Director Don Hill says the city historically tries to pave between 12 and 15 miles of city streets each year.
“I think with the funds that you’re proposing in the next fiscal year’s budget, plus the Municipal Road Aid Fund and the LGEA Fund, we’re probably looking at around 54 city streets, 12.5 miles of resurfacing to be completed,” Hill said.
Gregory then delivered his budget message for the 2025-2026 fiscal year. Expenditures for the budget total about $126.9 million, up $7.2 million from the previous fiscal year. Gregory said capital spending factored heavily into the budget.
“We’re proposing using reserves from fund balances and external funding sources in order to accomplish the various projects included in the 2026 budget,” Gregory said. “All city departments are planning for anticipated growth due to a rapidly-growing industrial base and related developments. This budget continues preparations for future years.”
The council approved ordinances rezoning 1377 Hutcherson Lane from Future Development Holding to Agribusiness and 110 East Memorial Drive from High-Density Residential to Neighborhood Office. The council also approved a professional services contract with Palmer Engineering for design work on the intersection of Veterans Way and Towne Drive and the Towne Drive corridor, with the contract not to exceed $158,000.
The Elizabethtown City Council will next meet June 2.
The Hardin County Fiscal Court met for their second meeting of the month Tuesday.
The fiscal court approved an amendment to the 2024-2025 budget, along with a resolution for an engineering services contract with the Lincoln Trail Area Development District for a pavement analysis toolkit. That contract is not to exceed $15,000.
Hardin County E911 Director Mike Leo reported that dispatch answered 4,118 calls in April. 1,355 EMS runs and 479 fire runs were dispatched.
Hardin County Judge/Executive Keith Taul announced the latest update on Individual Assistance claims in the county following April storms and flooding.
“To date in Hardin County, Individual Assistance registrations, there’s been 408 of those, and that has added up to almost $2.5 million in claims that have been approved and paid,” Taul said.
Visit FEMA’s Disaster Recovery Center, located at Kentucky State Police Post Four in Elizabethtown, or visit www.fema.gov for more information on filing a claim.
Taul said the county is still waiting on the White House to approve Public Assistance, which would make funding available for repairs to county roads and infrastructure.
The Hardin County Fiscal Court will next meet June 10.