Nick Houck's perjury trial is heading to a new county- pending a judge's signature
– 7 min read
Both attorneys agreed on a location weeks ahead of the court's deadline. Now it goes back to Judge Simms.
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It took less than a week.
Just five days after Judge Charles Simms gave attorneys in the Nick Houck perjury case until August 28th to agree on a trial location, both sides came back with an answer.
A proposed Final Order on Change of Venue was tendered to Nelson Circuit Court today- August 11, 2026. Both defense attorney Michael Ferguson and Commonwealth Attorney Kyle Williamson signed off on it. The named location: Owenton, Owen County, Kentucky.
The order has been submitted to Judge Simms for his signature. It is not yet official. But if he signs it, Owen County is where Nick Houck will stand trial on a first-degree perjury charge.
How we got here
To understand why this matters, let's back up.
Nick Houck was arrested June 4th and charged with Perjury in the First Degree- a Class D felony- for allegedly making a material false statement under oath in official proceedings between July 15, 2015 and August 16, 2023. He is the brother of Brooks Houck, who was convicted of murdering Crystal Rogers last summer and is now serving a life sentence.
From the moment Nick Houck was charged, a change of venue was widely expected. The Crystal Rogers case has consumed Bardstown and Nelson County for over a decade. It has been covered nationally. It was the subject of a major television documentary. Brooks Houck's murder trial drew spectators from across the state. Finding twelve jurors in Nelson County who have no prior opinion about the Houck family- or this case- would be, to put it charitably, a challenge.
Defense attorney Michael Ferguson filed a change of venue motion, and at last week's pre-trial hearing on August 6th, prosecutor Kyle Williamson told the court he had no objection to the venue change itself. The sticking point was where.
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Shay McAlister
