Breakthrough Arrest in Crystal Rogers Case: Nelson County Man Charged for 2015 Death

Joseph L. Lawson, a Nelson County man, has been charged with criminal conspiracy to commit murder and tampering with physical evidence in connection with the 2015 disappearance and presumed death of Crystal Rogers. While Lawson is not charged with Rogers' murder, prosecutors believe he was involved in some fashion with whoever killed her. The indictment alleges that Lawson aided one or more persons in planning or committing the crime. Rogers' case has been under investigation by the FBI, and her body has never been found. The FBI is also investigating the death of Rogers' father, Tommy Ballard, who was killed in 2016.