Crystal Rogers trial begins: The judge's final orders before the jury is seated
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (FOX 56) — 'Where is Crystal Rogers?' has plagued Nelson County for nearly a decade. Now, her family and friends sit in a Warren County courtroom, hopeful for answers.
A judge is set to hear the case against 54-year-old Steven Lawson, one of the men charged in connection with the Bardstown mother's disappearance. It's the first of two trials related to the case.
Nearly 10 years after Crystal Rogers vanished in Bardstown, one of the men accused will stand trial: What to expect
On Tuesday morning, Lawson's attorney, Darren Wolff, made one last effort to postpone the trial. He argued that the defense team hadn't had enough time to review the discovery, after only receiving the case in August 2024, when Lawson fired his previous attorney during a hearing.
Wolff said the defense has received around 400,000 pages of written material and called reviewing evidence in an investigation that spanned 10 years in only eight months impossible.
'We are simply not prepared,' Wolff pleaded.
Further, Wolff hinted that the death of Bardstown police officer Jason Ellis is expected to be mentioned throughout the trial, and his team has yet to review the discovery concerning the Ellis case.
Crystal Rogers trial begins: The judge's final orders before the jury is seated
Bourbon County horse rescue offering shelter to tornado victims
Lexington non-profit's Memorial Day picnic celebrates recovery and resilience
Judge Charles Simms said the argument was irrelevant to the overall nature of the Lawson case.
'Nobody is solving the Jason Ellis case during this trial,' Simms said.
On Friday, May 23, Kentucky media outlets filed an emergency intervention requesting that the judge consider allowing one camera in the courtroom after filing an order prohibiting the use of all electronic devices throughout the trial.
The motion was also heard on Tuesday morning. Special prosecutor Shane Young argued that the media had no right to intervene.
Simms affirmed that he's seen thousands of cases throughout his career, and nothing amounts to the attention the Rogers case has received, describing it as 'circus-like.'
'I'm exhausted, and the trial hasn't even started,' Simms said.
Read more of the latest Lexington & central Kentucky news
He ultimately denied the media's emergency intervention.
Jury selection is ongoing, and officials announced that they plan to be ready for deliberation by Friday, May 30.
This is a developing story. Stay with FOX 56 News for updates.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Boston Globe
an hour ago
- Boston Globe
Plymouth cafeteria director charged with ordering lobster, stealing kitchen equipment equipment, for use at his Cape Cod snack shack
His bail was set at $50,000. If he posts it, VanCott must stay away from all Plymouth schools and storage facilities if released, the statement said. He is due back in court July 21. VanCott has been employed as the food services director for Plymouth Public Schools since 2003, according to his Advertisement He was first flagged by authorities on May 30 after they received an anonymous tip that someone was stealing food and equipment from Plymouth Community Intermediate School. Since VanCott was the only person authorized to place cafeteria orders, he was quickly identified as the suspect, the statement said. A review of purchase records revealed premium Angus burgers, hot dogs, lobster, and other items that were never served students or staff, according to the statement—and all of which appear on the Snack Shack's Advertisement Investigators also spoke with cafeteria employees, who said that for years, once a week between Memorial Day and Labor Day, VanCott had them pack bags of deli turkey and ham marked with his initials, for no apparent school use. They also said that he routinely took condiments, snacks, paper goods, coffee and other supplies from the kitchen, according to the statement. Additionally, VanCott allegedly purchased more than $8,300 worth of kitchen equipment which was not found in the cafeteria or school storage, the statement said. This includes under-counter refrigerators and freezers, a refrigerated sandwich table, convection oven, microwave, bagel warmer, coffee maker and two fry pans. Surveillance footage from a Saturday allegedly shows him loading one of those under-counter refrigerators onto a town-owned truck and later returning in his personal pickup to transport a second unit. Additional video from the State Police Fusion Center then shows his pickup crossing the Sagamore Bridge with the stolen refrigerator secured in its bed, bound for Cape Cod, the statement said. The investigation is ongoing. Rita Chandler can be reached at
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Vehicle fire shuts down portion of S. King Street
HONOLULU (KHON2) — A portion of S. King Street was closed due to a vehicle fire, the Honolulu Police Department said in an HNL Alert. The public was first notified about the fire at approximately 3:30 p.m. on June 6. Traffic was being rerouted to Isenburg Street. Officials are urging the public to avoid the area. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
17 News' political analysts break down Trump and Musk feud
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Some Democrats are calling the online feud between President Donald Trump and Elon Musk a messy breakup…coining it, 'the Real Housewives of Pennsylvania Ave.' 17 News political analysts, Neel Sannappa and Cathy Abernathy, joined 17 News at 5 to discuss the jabber between Musk and Trump. Watch the full interview in the player above for the full 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
