"It was a coworker and a friend, and he hurt me. That night changed my life forever," said Veronica Deleija.
Six years ago, Deleija says she was drugged and sexually assaulted in her own home.
"My body knew, because there was evidence, but I couldn’t wrap my mind around what had happened. It’s almost like an out-of-body experience, you’re hoping that it’s a dream, that you’re going to wake up…but the fact is it’s very real."
Deleija is one of more than 300 reported sexual assault cases per year in Santa Barbara County, and 15,000 statewide, many of which are children, according to the county's Sexual Assault Response Team.
"I knew that I wanted to prosecute. I knew that I wanted to press charges, I knew that I wanted him to pay," said Deleija.
After the assault, Deleija received a SART exam, where physical evidence was collected from her clothing and body.
"If that nurse was not available that evening, when that happened, my evidence would have been gone," said Deleija.
SART exams must be done within 72-120 hours of an assault, and evidence from these exams is crucial in prosecutions.
"At the Lompoc SART house, we probably see 100 individuals here a year…the majority being children," said Sarah Valverde.
Lompoc SARTcoordinator, Sarah Valverde, says the Santa Barbara County SART program has just 7 nurses who can do these types of exams county-wide.
We’ve had weekends where all the way down to Northridge, there is not a single forensic nurse available in four counties.
Valverde says this lack of forensic nurses means only 20% of cases get exams within the 120-hour window.
"Also, the chance of getting, you know, evidence is lowered, every second that goes by that we aren't getting the exam," said Valverde.
There’s been a nursing shortage since 2020, according to Valverde, but she hopes that will change.
"We just want to help as many people as we can get whatever justice feels right for them," said Valverde.
And as for Deleija she says, "It made a difference in my case. I wanted justice, and I received justice. I'm standing here strong. I have found my voice. I went through it, overcame it, and have come out okay. I just want to reassure everyone that, yes, they will come out okay."
If you are interested in becoming a SART Nurse, contact SART Coordinator Sarah Valverde at svalverde@countyofsb.org
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence, you can contact the resources below:
Local SART phone numbers:
- South County/Santa Barbara 24/7 Hotline: (805) 564-3696
- North County 24/7 Hotline: (805) 736-7273
National resources:
- National Sexual Assault & Harassment (confidential) hotline: 800-656-HOPE (4673)
- National virtual chat: online.rainn.org
Survivor resources:
- RAINN - https://rainn.org/resources
- SART - https://www.readysbc.org/2436/Sexual-Assault-Response-Team-SART
- STESA (standing together to end sexual assault) - https://sbstesa.org/
- Rape crisis center & child protection, North County - https://sbcountyrapecrisis.org/
- Women's Fund of Santa Barbara - https://womensfundsb.org/organization/santa-barbara-rape-crisis-center
