Why Steve Lawson was moved to a new jail weeks after his sentencing

Steve Lawson was sentenced to 17 years in a Kentucky prison in August and was being held in the Nelson County Jail.

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Steve Lawson was booked into the Larue County Detention Center Friday afternoon, where he took a new mugshot and went through the booking process all over again.

He has been held in the Nelson County Jail, since being sentenced to 17 years in prison in for his role in the death and disappearance of Crystal Rogers.

Larue County Jailer Jody Perry told me Lawson was transferred from Nelson County Jail to Larue County because that jail was getting full, and they have more space at Larue County. He said this is common practice for jails to move inmates who are awaiting classification into the state prison system based on space.

Lawson is expected to stay at the Larue County Detention Center until he is assigned a prison to serve his 17 years.... that is estimated to take 45-90 days.

Emotional testimony at Steve Lawson's sentencing

Mike Ballard took the witness stand on behalf of Crystal Rogers. He turned and looked at Steve Lawson directly and said, "I could stand up here and go on and on about what a worthless, despicable, pitiful, thoughtless, gutless person you are. But I really don't have to say what everyone already knows."

Rogers' sister Brooke Bryan also spoke at sentencing. She told Lawson he could have stopped the murder, and should have spoken up sooner.

"You could have stopped this, you could have saved her life and we wouldn't be here today. You had the chance to do the right thing and you could have spoke up, you could have, you could have told the truth", Bryan said,"you knew what was happening. You had the power to stop it, but you stayed silent."

What comes next in the case

Brooks Houck and Joseph Lawson will be sentenced on September 17th at 2:30 p.m. at the Nelson County Judicial Center. The sentencing hearing was delayed from August until September because serious medical issues with Joseph Lawson.