Ellis County DA outlines plan to expand sexual assault response team and establish in‑county SANE program

County and District Attorney Lindy Beatty presented the biannual sexual assault response team (SART) report, telling commissioners the county typically receives about 25–30 adult sexual‑assault reports per year and that low reporting is likely due in part to victims declining to cooperate after initial reports.

Beatty said the SART's priorities include increasing public awareness, recruiting more SART members and advocates, and creating an in‑county SANE (sexual assault nurse examiner) program so victims do not have to travel to JPS Fort Worth for exams. "We currently do not have one in our county," Beatty said, and noted that requiring victims and officers to travel out of county can be a barrier; an officer can be off the street for several hours while an out‑of‑county exam is completed. The plan calls for background checks and training for advocates starting in January, with a goal of SANE availability by March.

Beatty also described protocol changes the county would adopt once advocates and local SANE capacity are in place, and said The Heights (a partner organization) would employ the SANE staff while state reimbursements and grants would support program costs. Commissioners praised the work and noted the county has already added victim advocates in recent years.

Beatty's presentation emphasized both the operational challenges of evidence collection and the expected benefits of local SANE coverage to increase access to timely exams, strengthen investigations, and improve victim services.