Report breaks down sexual assault numbers in Williamson County
WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — Tuesday, the Williamson County Commissioners Court accepted the results of a biennial report on adult sexual assaults. It found that out of cases that received indictments, only half resulted in a conviction.
Williamson County's Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) is comprised of the Hope Alliance, the District Attorney's Office, Round Rock Police Department, Williamson County Sheriff's Office, Brave Alliance, Bluebonnet Trails and the Cedar Park Police Department.
According to the 2022-2023 SART report, the team was formed after Texas lawmakers passed SB 476 in 2021.
The report states that all Texas counties are required to have an SART "in order to have a statewide infrastructure of resources, awareness, connection, and coordination to address adult sex crimes at a local level."
According to the report, the Round Rock Police Department received the highest number of sexual assault reports with 92, 85 of which were investigated.
The second highest number of reports came from the Williamson County Sheriff's Office at 82, with 56 of those cases being investigated.
Prosecutorial data from the report said that 54 of all cases in the county resulted in charges being filed, with 47 receiving indictments.
Those indicted cases resulted in 24 convictions, 17 dismissals, and 1 acquittal through a trial.
At Tuesday's Commissioners Court meeting, commissioners quickly accepted the findings of the report as part of its regular agenda.
Precinct 1 Commissioner Terry Cook was the only member to make a comment about the report. She said she wished these reports were done annually instead of every other year.
"I would love to see a draft annually, but I know that this takes time," Cook said.