The prosecutor played the dispatch recording in which Mara Collier offered to contact the event organizer. Perkins's voice came through the courtroom speakers, telling her he did not need a civilian to explain what he was looking at. It was a short sentence, almost casually dismissive. Combined with what followed, it helped show the jury that available verification had been refused as a matter of choice, not overlooked in confusion.
Grace took the stand on the third day. She stated her name, rank, and years of service, then answered questions about the ceremony and the encounter. Mercer asked why she had visited the memorial before the program began. Grace explained that her father's name was engraved there and that she had wanted a private moment with him before the public event. She did not dramatize the memory, and that restraint made the answer difficult to forget.
When she described the damage to her uniform, Grace was specific. Perkins seized the shoulder boards, pulled until the stitching tore, and threw the insignia to the ground. He then removed her Bronze Star Medal despite her request that he stop touching her. Later he restrained her hands, ignored her request that the cuffs be checked, and pulled her toward the cruiser while witnesses repeatedly offered to verify her identity.
Mercer asked what Grace had believed would happen when Perkins first demanded identification. "I thought he would check it," Grace said. "People in positions of authority are supposed to verify information. I supplied the information and offered a way to confirm it. I did not expect him to reject the answer because it was not the answer he wanted."
"At what point did you become afraid?" Mercer asked.
Grace paused. "When he reached for my chest after already tearing my shoulder boards. Until then I thought the situation was unreasonable, but I believed it could be corrected by a supervisor. At that moment I understood he might keep escalating regardless of what I said. I had no reason to believe arguing more forcefully would make me safer."
The defense asked whether Grace had emphasized her rank in an attempt to intimidate the deputy. She answered that she had identified herself because he questioned her right to be in a restricted area. Counsel suggested she should have walked with him to the cruiser without questioning his authority. Grace said she had complied with the handcuffing and had never attempted to leave, but compliance did not turn an unsupported accusation into a lawful one.
"You understand that officers sometimes make mistakes when making rapid decisions?" the defense asked.
"Of course," Grace answered. "I have made decisions under pressure my entire career. What matters is whether a person corrects the decision when reliable information becomes available. In this case the information was available repeatedly, and he refused it repeatedly."
The defense lawyer held up a photograph of the recovered insignia. "You have described these objects as deeply important to you. Would it be fair to say that your reaction was influenced by your emotional attachment to your military career?"