Santa Barbara County Sexually Violent Predator seeks change in status

A Santa Barbara County man twice convicted of raping teenage women wants to be released from his strict, court-ordered supervision and monitoring.

Tibor “Ted” Karsai is listed as a Sexually Violent Predator on the Megan’s Law website and has been under 24 hour supervision since his controversial release from prison into Santa Barbara County.

Karsai has spent most of his adult life in prison for raping a 19 year old woman in Santa Barbara County in 1974 and for kidnapping and raping a 16 year old girl in northern California after he was paroled in the early 1980’s.

Since his release into Santa Barbara County several years ago, Karsai has been living in various locations in the Santa Maria Valley, including a motor home, and is under 24 hour supervision including GPS monitoring.

He must check in with the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office every month and is under a strict curfew.

At the time, the District Attorney’s Office fought Karsai’s release from prison into Santa Barbara County but then agreed to the conditions of his release.

“The whole thing with the terms, the whole thing with the GPS and the random visits, the Sheriff’s Office knows exactly where he is, that’s a far better condition than having him out there in a transient status where they don’t know where to look for him if they need to find him”, said Santa Barbara County Chief Deputy District Attorney Mag Nicola in April 2015.

Now in his late 60’s, Karsai is seeking court permission to be released from supervision and monitoring and removal of his Sexually Violent Predator or SVP status.

Karsai reportedly has support from doctors who’ve evaluated him and consider him fit for unconditional release from SVP supervision.

A court decision on Karsai’s change in sex offender status and supervision could come early next month.