Warren County jury finds Brooks Houck not guilty of thefts from Lowe’s

NC GAZETTE / WBRT RADIO
STAFF REPORT

Thursday, April 25, 2019 — The Bardstown man indicted last July for allegedly stealing roofing shingles from Lowe’s was found not guilty in a jury trial Thursday in a Warren County court room.

Brooks Houck, the boyfriend of Crystal Rogers — the Bardstown woman who disappeared in July 2015 — was indicted on four felony charges and one misdemeanor charge of theft when he allegedly took roofing shingles without paying for them in April 2018.

While the trial was initially scheduled to take place in Nelson Circuit Court, Houck’s attorney, Brian Butler, successfully argued for a change of venue due to pre-trial publicity stemming from the Crystal Rogers case. The trial was moved to Warren County and began Tuesday.

The three-day trial ended with a not guilty verdict, which was what Butler told WDRB TV was the outcome he expected in the case.

The theft allegations stem from what Butler said were misunderstandings on the number of shingles Houck was taking when he was loading them up. Butler said Houck had no intention of taking any shingles and not paying for them.

“We never believed Brooks had the intent of stealing anything from Lowes,” Butler told WDRB. “And obviously, the jury agreed.”

After the trial was over, one of the jurors told WDRB that they didn’t have sufficient evidence to prove that Houck was aware he was stealing shingles when the alleged thefts took place.

Crystal Rogers’ family members were in the audience during the trial. Her mother, Sherry Ballard, told TV reporters she will continue her quest for justice in her daughter’s disappearance and the death of her husband, Tommy Ballard.

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