'Crystal Rogers Act' clears committee, heads to house floor

A bill inspired by failures in the Crystal Rogers investigation is one step closer to becoming law.

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House Bill 305- now officially named the Crystal Rogers Act- passed unanimously out of committee Wednesday. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Candy Massaroni (R) from Nelson County, would extend the statute of limitations for secretly recording grand jury testimony, a problem that hit painfully close to home for the Rogers family.

Sherry Ballard, Crystal's mother, traveled to Frankfort to speak directly to lawmakers about why this legislation matters.

"During the investigation of my daughter's disappearance, the FBI discovered some recordings found during a search at the Houck farm," Ballard told the committee. "Brooks Houck, his mother Rosemary, his brother Nick, his sister Rhonda, and his mother's live-in boyfriend Larry Mock all secretly recorded their grand jury hearing."

The recordings were discovered years after Crystal vanished on July 4, 2015- well past the one-year statute of limitations that would have allowed prosecutors to pursue charges. Ballard described the family's devastation at learning an entire family had recorded their testimonies and nothing could be done about it.

Sherry Ballard won’t stop fighting: her push to close the legal loophole that let Houck family off the hook

They broke the law, they faced no consequences, and now Sherry Ballard is fighting to change that. “I’m Shay McAlister, and this is Shay Informed: an independent, ad-free platform dedicated to honest journalism with compassion and clarity. Are you new here? Sign up for the free weekly newsletter or subscribe

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"I just feel that the one-year statute of limitation is not compatible with something as important as a grand jury hearing," she said.

The bill is straightforward in its purpose: protect the integrity of the grand jury process by giving prosecutors more time to discover and act on violations.

Jackie Steele, Commonwealth Attorney for the 27th Judicial Circuit, testified in support of the bill while requesting a technical amendment to ensure prosecutors aren't inadvertently penalized for doing their jobs- like sharing grand jury information with officers conducting follow-up interviews. Committee Chair Rep. Daniel Elliott disagreed that an amendment was necessary, noting the bill's language already includes an exception for actions allowed under Kentucky's Rules of Criminal Procedure.

Steele also highlighted why grand jury secrecy matters beyond the Rogers case. Recordings could be used by drug trafficking organizations to stay ahead of investigations, he said, and there's even a black market for child abuse material discussed in grand jury proceedings.

"When you get to the smaller jurisdictions... you're hearing cases about your neighbor," Steele explained. "If you can't deliberate in honesty about what's going on in your community because you're afraid somebody's recording it and playing it to your neighbors... that's an obstruction of justice."

Committee members were visibly moved by Ballard's testimony. Chair Elliott praised her composure through years of national attention on her daughter's case.

"You're making a difference," Elliott told her. "Your persistence has worked out for your daughter."

Ballard acknowledged this bill won't change what her family experienced, but she hopes it prevents others from facing the same frustration.

"I know this will not help my family, but hopefully it will help another family, and they will not feel the pain that my family has had to go through," she said.

HB 305 now moves to the full House for a vote. Rep. Massaroni told me she expects that vote to happen next week. If it passes on the house floor, it will move on to the Senate.

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