BECOME
BECOME KNOWN FOR HER FIGHT FOR JUSTICE IN TWO CASES-- HER MISSING DAUGHTER
CRYSTAL
ROGERS AND MURDERED HUSBAND
TOMMY BALLARD.
NOW-- SHE'S ADDING A THIRD--
FIGHTING FOR
THE RIGHT TO SEE HER GRANDSON.
GRANDPARENTS IN KENTUCKY HAVE
FEW
RIGHTS-- AND EVEN THOSE
PROTECTED BY
LAW CAN'T BE ENFORCED. SHAY
MCALISTER EXPLAINS FROM
BARDSTOWN.
BARDSTOWN. BEHIND SHERRY BALLARD'S BARDTOWN
HOME. A SWING SET. BUILT FOR HER
GRANDKIDS.
GRANDKIDS. SHERRY BALLARD 235
"MY GRANDKIDS ARE LIKE MY
CHILDREN."
SINCE 2015-- SHE HAS BEEN
RAISING FOUR OF HER MISSING
DAUGHTER'S CHILDREN IN HER HOME,
AS HER OWN. SHERRY BALLARD
2112 SHE KNEW I WOULD TAKE CARE OF
HER KIDS. THAT WAS NOT EVEN A
DECISION FOR ME- IT WAS JUST
AUTOMATIC." THAT'S WHY SHE SAYS
THE COURT
THE COURT
THE COURT DOCUMENTS-- CLAIMING CONTACT WITH HER
COULD CAUSE SIGNIFICANT
EMOTIONAL HARM-- ARE DIFFICULT
TO DIGEST.
SHERRY BALLARD
2145
" FOR THEM TO THINK I'M SOME
KIND OF UNFIT
GRANDMOTHER FOR MY GRANDSON. ITS
VERY
HARD FOR ME
TO EVEN THINK ABOUT
BECAUSE I
BECAUSE I
LOVE
LOVE THAT
LOVE THAT BABY." THAT BABY-- IS CRYSTAL'S YOUNGEST SON ELI- HE WAS TWO
WHEN HIS MOM WENT MISSING-- AND
HAS BEEN IN THE CARE OF HIS DAD
BROOKS HOUCK-- SINCE THEN.
SHERRY BALLARD 1651
"MY DAUGHTER IS MISSING. THE
PERSON WHO IS THE MAIN SUSPECT
IS THE FATHER AND I HAVE TRIED
TO PUT THAT DEEP DOWN. AND I DO
THAT FOR ELI, I DO." THE LENGTHY
CUSTODY BATTLE DATES BACK TO
JULY OF 2015. 6 CRYSTAL ROGERS PARENTS
HEARING-PKG
SHERRY BALLARD
26
"WE'RE GOING TO GET THROUGH IT,
WE'RE GOING TO SEE HIM."
.WHEN SHERRY BALLARD AND HER
HUSBAND
HUSBAND FIRST FILED FOR CUSTODY OF
OF
OF CRYSTAL'S YOUNGEST SON. INSIDE THE
NELSON COUNTY COURTROOM, THEY
WORE THEIR "PRAYERS FOR CRYSTAL"
TSHIRTS-- COMING TO COURT IN
BETWEEN SEARCHES FOR THEIR MISSING
DAUGHTER.
GOING FACE TO FACE WITH THE MAN
NAMED
NAMED
NAMED AS
NAMED AS THE MAIN SUSPECT IN HER CASE. 6 CRYSTAL ROGERS PARENTS
HEARING-PKG
BROOKS HOUCK
30
"NO COMMENT- THANK YOU- YALL
HAVE A GOOD
DAY."
THE BALLARDS PRESENTED THEIR
CASE. CITING EVIDENCE THAT
BEFORE CRYSTAL WENT MISSING THEY
PLAYED A BIG ROLE IN THE CHILD'S
LIFE. ROGERS FAMILIY CUSTODY
BATTLE PKG SHERRY BALLARD
112
"I JUST CAN'T UNDERSTAND WHY WE
HAVEN'T GOT TO SEE THAT BABY
YET." SIX MONTHS LATER-- A JUDGE RULED
TOMMY AND SHERRY COULD HAVE
SHORT VISITS WITH THE CHILD EVERY OTHER
SATURDAY. BUT
HE WASN'T ALLOWED TO SEE HIS
FOUR SIBLINGS.
SHERRY BALLARD
913
I HAD TO COME HOME, AND TELL
THESE KIDS
THAT LIVED HERE, THAT WAS HIS
SISTERS AND
BROTHER THAT THEY COULD NOT SEE
HIM.
HIM.
HIM. THAT
HIM. THAT TORE MY HEART OUT TO DO THAT.
SHERRY SAYS SHE DID WHAT SHE
COULD TO
MAKE THE MOST OF THE TIME.
SHERRY BALLARD
947
"I SET UP A LITTLE MAILBOX THING
THAT I
THAT I
THAT I HAD GOT AT CRACKER BARREL. IT LOOKED LIKE
A BIRDHOUSE AND IT WAS ON A
STAND. IT
HAD A LITTLE OPENING IN THE
BACK. THAT WAS
JUST FOR ELI- I PUT STUFF IN
THERE AND HE
KNEW THAT WAS FROM HIS FAIRY AND
HE KNEW THAT
FAIRY WAS HIS MOM."
1006
THE BALLARDS WERE EVENTUALLY
GRANTED
LONGER VISITS-- FULL WEEKENDS
AND EVEN SOME HOLIDAYS. AND THEN
ONE ACCUSATION
ONE ACCUSATION PUT A STOP TO IT ALL. SHERRY BALLARD
1055
"BROOKS TOLD THE COURTS THAT
SOMETHING WAS SAID - ELI CAME
HOME AND
TOLD HIM THAT SOMEONE SAID
SOMETHING ABOUT HIS FATHER, IN
MY HOME,
ON A VISIT." 1108
ACCORDING TO COURT DOCUMENTS,
HOUCK
TESTIFIED THAT AFTER RETURNING
FROM
VISITS WITH THE BALLARDS, ELI
WAS
SULLEN AND UNCOOPERATIVE. THE
PAPERWORK GOES ON TO SAY THE
LITTLE BOY
WAS ACCUSATORY-- ASKING HIS
FATHER
"WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY MOMMY?"
SHERRY BALLARD
1140
"THEY JUST RIPPED THAT BABY AWAY
FROM
ME YOU KNOW. I DIDN'T EVEN GET
TO PROVE
ANYTHING."
MONTHS LATER-- NEW HOPE CAME
WITH
HOUSE BILL 517.
IT WAS DESIGNED TO EXPAND THE
RIGHTS OF
GRANDPARENTS IN KENTUCKY-- TO
CREATE
A PRESUMPTION THAT GRANDPARENT
VISITATION IS IN THE CHILD'S
BEST INTEREST
WHEN THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THEM AND A
PARENT IS DECEASED.
REPRESENTATIVE CHAD MCCOY 230
"WE WERE HAVING THIS PROBLEM OF
GRANDPARENTS BEING SHUNNED
BECAUSE THEIR CHILD WAS NO LONGER IN THE
PICTURE."
PICTURE."
PICTURE." THE BILL WAS SIGNED INTO LAW APRIL OF
2018. IT CAME AT A TIME WHEN
MORE
GRANDPARENTS WERE RAISING THEIR
CHILDREN'S CHILDREN THAN EVER
BEFORE. RESEARCH SHOWS MORE THAN 13
MILLION
CHILDREN ARE LIVING IN HOMES
WITH THEIR
GRANDPARENTS IN THE U-S AND
NEARLY 3-
MILLION GRANDPARENTS HAVE
PRIMARY CUSTODY OF THEIR
GRANDCHILDREN.
MCCOY SAID IN KENTUCKY OPIOIDS
WERE THE REASON SO MANY PARENTS
WERE
WERE
WERE LOSING CUSTODY OF THEIR CHILDREN
OR
OR
OR FORFEITING THEIR RIGHTS. BALLARD'S CASE WAS DIFFERENCE.
CRYSTAL
WAS PRESUMED DEAD BY POLICE, BUT
NOT BY
LAW.
REPRESENTATIVE CHAD MCCOY
453
WE HAVE NO WAY TO KNOW IF SHE'S
STILL
STILL
STILL ALIVE OR NOT ALIVE. WE HAVE A LAW THAT
SAYS YOU ARE PRESUMED DEAD IF
YOU HAVE BEEN ABSENT FOR MORE
THAN SEVEN
YEARS SO WE'RE KIND OF IN THIS
WAITING
GAME
WAITING GAME HOUCK CHALLENGED THE
CONSTITUTIONALITY OF THE LAW
WHEN
BALLARD TOOK IT TO COURT ASKING
FOR
FOR
FOR ANOTHER HEARING. AND HE WON LATE LAST
YEAR IN THE COURT OF APPEALS.
REPRESENTATIVE CHAD MCCOY
25
"UNFORTUNATELY THEY FREQUENTLY
GET
CHALLENGED ON A CONSTITUTIONAL
BASIS
AND A LOT OF TIMES THEY GET
OVERTURNED." 33
LAST MONTH A JUDGE MADE A FINAL
RULING IN BALLARD'S CASE-
WRITING IN COURT DOCUMENTS THERE IS A RISK OF EMOTIONAL
HARM TO
THE CHILD DUE TO THE
CLEAR AND
CONVINCING EVIDENCE THAT
SIGNIFICANT
HOSTILITY EXISTS BETWEEN THE
BALLARD
FAMILY AND HOUCK.
SHERRY BALLARD
1825
"WE'VE LOST ANOTHER PERSON IN
OUR FAMILY
AND I JUST CAN'T ACCEPT THAT."
DENIED ANY RIGHTS TO SEE THE
CHILD-- BALLARD SAYS SHE'S SAYS
SHE IS DONE
BEING QUIET. SHERRY BALLARD
2737
"WHAT CAN I LOSE? HOW CONVENIENT
IS IT
IS IT
IS IT FOR
IS IT FOR THE COURTS FOR ME TO JUST SIT HERE AND BE QUIET AND JUST
TAKE EVERYTHING THEY
DISH OUT TO ME. I REFUSE TO DO
THAT
ANYMORE. I'M NOT LOSING ANYTHING
BECAUSE I'M NOT GETTING
ANYTHING." NOW SHE'S PLANNING A FIGHT FOR
RIGHTS TO
SEE HER GRANDSON. AND RIGHTS FOR
OTHER GRANDPARENTS ENGAGED
SIMILAR
SIMILAR BATTLES. SHERRY BALLARD 2755
"ONE DAY THAT BABY IS GOING TO
BE OLD ENOUGH TO COME AND SEE ME
AND HE'S GOING
TO KNOW EVERYTHING I HAVE DONE TO FIGHT
FOR HIM." 2805
SHERRY BALLARD PLANS TO TAKE
THIS
THIS
FIGHT
FIGHT TO
FIGHT TO THE STEPS OF THE NELSON COUNTY COURTHOUSE
COUNTY COURTHOUSE WITH A RALLY PLANNED
FOR
SATURDAY AT 2PM... CALLED THE
FIGHT FOR
ELI.
HER HOPE IS TO RAISE AWARENESS
FOR THE BREAKDOWN IN THE
GRANDPARENTS RIGHTS
LAW- AND SHOW NELSON COUNTY
JUDGES SHE ISN'T DONE FIGHTING.