DA’s office petitions California Supreme Court over sexual predator

The Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office is petitioning the California Supreme Court to keep a sexually violent predator off county streets.

Tibor Karsai is a two-time convicted rapist who has spent the last 26 years in prison for the rape of a 16-year-old girl.

District Attorney Joyce Dudley has successfully blocked the release of Karsai in Santa Barbara County for the past 20 months.

Now, Dudley is asking the state’s highest court to overturn the recent Appellate Court ruling that would release Karsai as a transient within the county.

“He’s not going to get a stable home, supervision programs and the kinds of things he needs to not re-offend,” said Dudley. “When a sexually violent predator is a transient then my concern is at its highest.”

A ruling is not expected for at least 30 days.