BARDSTOWN, Ky. — A Nelson County judge has ruled not to reduce Brooks Houck's $10 million bond.
Houck is charged with murder and tampering with physical evidence in connection to Crystal Rogers' 2015 disappearance.
Nelson County Circuit Court Judge Charles Simms III said Houck's bond is "reasonable to assure Brooks' appearance, to adequately protect cooperating witness(es) and other individuals associated with this case, and to better assure the integrity of this proceeding."
Houck's attorney, Brian Butler, argued his client's constitutional rights were being violated, saying the bond was "unreasonable and oppressive" and called Houck a "low-risk defendant." He filed a motion ahead of last week's arraignment to reduce the bond to $500,000 with GPS monitoring and work release.
In his ruling, Simms noted that although he has never issued a bond as high as Houck's, he believes "Brooks has access to substantial financial resources."
State records indicate Houck owns three businesses and 83 properties in Nelson County, 66 of those are worth roughly $8.5 million alone, the judge said.
During Houck's arraignment last week, Special Prosecutor Shane Young dropped a bombshell connecting Brooks' brother, Nick Houck, to another unsolved murder in Bardstown: Tommy Ballard.
Simms said although Houck isn't responsible for his brother's actions, "it is apparent that Nick has provided ongoing assistance to his brother." Nick Houck, a former Bardstown police officer, was fired after it was determined he was interfering with the Crystal Rogers investigation.
"Although this Court will not speculate about a motive for killing Tommy, it is extremely alarming as to why Nick may have been selling the same caliber firearm that matches four of the five criteria being used in Tommy's shooting," Simms said.
The judge said Nick Houck was also caught attempting to record his grand jury testimony, as were other members of Houck's family. Simms said during one of the recordings, Houck's sister, Rhonda McIlvoy can be heard expressing her concern about using the recording device. A man's voice can then be heard saying: "no, we need to hear it."
Prosecutors argue that voice was Brooks Houck.
Ultimately, Simms said he wants both sides to receive a fair and impartial trial.
"The integrity of the entire proceeding is at stake when someone deliberately violates the rules of criminal procedure," he said. "In this case, the Houck family intentionally engaged in misconduct when they secretly recorded the grand jury proceeding."
Houck's next court date is scheduled for Feb. 8, 2024, for a pre-trial hearing. He is currently being held in the Hardin County Detention Center.
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