Bardstown community prepares for the start of Steven Lawson’s trial
BARDSTOWN, Ky. (WAVE) – On Tuesday, May 27, the trial begins for one of the three men charged in the disappearance of Crystal Rogers. It’s a moment the Bardstown community and Rogers’ family have been waiting for almost ten years. A liquor store on South Fourth Street in Bardstown sees customers come and go regularly. It’s been there for around three decades. The store owner says one thing that’s going to stay around for a while is his Crystal Rogers signs.
“I will keep it until someone tells me what happened,” Guthrie McKay said, owner of Toddy’s Liquors. Nearly 10 years ago, July 3, 2015, Rogers was last seen with her then-boyfriend, Brooks Houck. Police believe he had help from Steven Lawson and his son, Joseph Lawson, in connection with her disappearance. Through the years, investigators have searched for answers. So has the Bardstown community.
“Everybody is still asking questions and still involved and still wondering what in the hell happened,” McKay said. Since then, all three have been charged. With Steven Lawson’s trial scheduled to start, we asked McKay how he would describe Bardstown despite the disappearance of Rogers looming over the community. “It’s a giving community,” McKay explained. “Anytime someone’s down, we step up. We are something else. I am proud of Bardstown in that way.”
Several people share McKay’s sentiments. People want justice and closure for the Crystal Rogers family and the Bardstown community.
Lawson’s trial will be held in Bowling Green with a jury selected from Warren County residents.
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