Lana testified.
Her fear was visible.
She described Ruth.
The SUV.
The footage.
Erica requesting access.
The recording disappearing.
Defense attorney challenged her.
“You voluntarily gave Sheriff Mullen access.”
“Yes.”
“Because she was sheriff.”
“Yes.”
“She did not force you.”
“No.”
“You cannot prove she deleted anything.”
“No.”
“So your suspicion came later.”
Lana thought.
“My fear came earlier.”
The attorney paused.
“What does that mean?”
“I was afraid to ask her if she deleted it.”
Silence.
That landed harder than accusation.
Pritchard testified.
He admitted his crimes.
Defense attacked him as a liar trying to reduce his sentence.
True concern.
Pritchard acknowledged.
“Yes.”
“So we should distrust you.”
“You should verify me.”
Then prosecutors did.
Banking records.
Messages.
Calendars.
Erica’s brother’s payments.
Vehicle logs.
Data.
The case did not depend on Pritchard alone.
Michael testified near the end.
He wore a dark suit.
No broken glasses now.
No blood.
The prosecutor asked about returning to Maple Hollow.
Ruth.
Records.
Erica’s stops.
Diner.
Then:
“Mr. Delator, did you threaten Sheriff Mullen before she struck you?”
“No.”
“Raise your voice?”
“No.”
“Touch her?”
“No.”
“Refuse a lawful arrest?”
“I was not under arrest.”
“What did you do?”
“I asked why she ordered me to leave.”
The prosecution played video.
Then stopped.
Defense stood.
“Mr. Delator, your son is a Superior Court judge.”
“Yes.”
“You called him immediately.”
“Yes.”
“Did you expect his position to influence the response?”
Michael considered.
“I expected him to know who to call.”
“That isn’t my question.”
“I know.”
The attorney stepped closer.
“Did you invoke your son’s position to intimidate Sheriff Mullen?”
“No.”
“You told him to contact the Governor’s office.”
“Yes.”
“In front of her.”
“Yes.”
“That sounds like leverage.”
Michael looked at the jury.
Then back.
“I was on the floor thirty seconds earlier.”
“You had already been struck.”
“Yes.”
“So your call had nothing to do with preventing the assault.”
“No.”
“It was retaliation.”
“No.”
“What was it?”
“Documentation.”
The attorney frowned.
“You needed your judge son to document?”
“No.”
“I needed somebody outside Maple Hollow who could not be pressured to forget what happened.”
The courtroom went silent.
Defense counsel paused.
Michael continued.