A convicted sex offender with a violent past is expected to be released from state prison and placed in a supervised-living program in Santa Maria—a move local authorities are fighting.
Tibor Karsai was convicted of the kidnapping and rape of a 16-year-old girl in Auburn in 1980. Karsai, 58, was originally sentenced to 26 years in prison. He was committed to a state mental hospital in 1998 by the Placer County District Attorney’s Office, which has since lobbied to keep him in custody.
Karsai’s mother once had a home in Santa Maria, according to investigative records from the time of his conviction. However, Santa Barbara County Deputy District Attorney Steve Foley said Karsai’s last known residence was in Morro Bay in San Luis Obispo County. Under state law, parolees are required to be released into their last county of residence.
The Santa Barbara D.A.’s Office is now fighting Karsai’s release to the county, filing necessary paperwork in opposition to the decision in Placer County Superior Court. Foley said a representative from the Santa Barbara County D.A.’s Office will be present to voice that opposition at Karsai’s next scheduled hearing on Dec. 5. There’s currently no date set for his release.
City officials are also fighting Placer County’s contention that Karsai belongs in Santa Maria. Police Sgt. Terry Flaa told the Sun the city was informed in late October of Karsai’s upcoming release via Liberty Health Care, a private firm contracted with the California Department of Mental Health to track sexual offenders.
As of press time, the Santa Maria City Council was expected to pass an urgency ordinance effective immediately at its Nov. 15 meeting; the ordinance would better define a distance requirement for sex offenders living near places children frequent, such as parks and schools.
A state regulation known as Jessica’s Law prohibits registered offenders from living within 2,000 feet of such properties. The city’s ordinance would clarify that distance to be as the crow flies—or a straight line radiating out in all directions, regardless of physical or geographic barriers or existing structures—as opposed to 2,000 feet spent navigating the twists and turns of streets and sidewalks.
City staffers said the ordinance might force the Placer County court to reconsider its recommended placement of Karsai.
“There’s certainly concern, especially from those who live nearby in the community,” Flaa said.
According to the Department of Justice’s Megan’s Law website, there are 145 registered sex offenders living in Santa Maria city limits and 391 living in Santa Barbara County.
This article appears in Nov 17-24, 2011.