FARMINGTON – It is said that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. It’s one of a gazillion motivational quotes and proverbs about the values of teamwork.

The bottom line though, is that a job worth doing is a job worth doing together.

In Franklin County, the job worth doing is giving effective support services to victims of sexual assault and to get sex crime offenders convicted. Their name is SART, or the Sexual Assault Response Team, and their mission is to build a collaborative multi-system response to sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse in Franklin County.

SART brings together representatives from area agencies concerned with victim support, law enforcement and prosecution.

The team includes a full-time deputy, who specializes in sexual and domestic assault cases, a position held by Detective David St. Laurent; the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner program at Franklin Memorial Hospital, led by Heidi Ellis, who specializes in forensic evidence collection; a prosecutor for sexual and domestic assault cases, held by Assistant District Attorney Andrew Robinson and a crisis response team coordinator, Bonnie Lisherness, who serves as a go-between among the various participating parties and provides support for victims.

Team members also include representatives from eight law enforcement agencies that serve Franklin County, area mental health care providers, FMH and the district attorney’s office.

SART was founded after the death of Amber Rose Pond four summers ago. The 11-year-old Pond was raped and then strangled to death in Fairview Cemetery in Farmington by her stepfather, Dana McAlpine Jr.

The balance between advocacy groups and investigative departments has proved effective, said Robinson, who points out that SART is a community effort that works.

It starts with Lisherness, who connects with victims when they call the 24-hour hot line at Sexual Assault Emergency Services and works to help them feel comfortable, she said, and to let them know that what happened wasn’t their fault. Then, if they want to press charges, she and St. Laurent sit down with the victim and he conducts one interview, which balances sensitivity with thoroughness.

He then begins interviewing suspects. His job, St. Laurent said, is to “be a fact finder, not to judge.” He works closely with Robinson and fellow Assistant District Attorney Jim Andrews, who can guide investigators toward getting the right evidence that will hold up in court.

The result of the cooperative approach, Lisherness said, is that more sexual assault cases result in a conviction and victims feel more comfortable coming forward.

sdepoy@sunjournal.com

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