Dozens of charges have been filed against a former Goleta teacher.
According to the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office, Steven Schapansky, who previously taught at Santa Barbara Charter School, was charged Monday with two felony counts of lewd or lascivious acts on a child under the age of 14 along with 70 misdemeanor counts of unlawful electronic peeping.
The investigation into Schapansky began July 12 when the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office reports it received a report of secret recording devices that were found in the 54-year-old’s possessions.
He was arrested July 13 on suspicion of misdemeanor invasion of privacy with a recording device and then released.
While following up on the investigation, detectives said they identified Schapansky as the suspect in a child molestation case.
Officials say Schapansky was believed to be in Fresno and with the assistance of the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, detectives arrested Schapansky on a felony warrant the morning of Sept. 6.
According to the criminal complaint filed against Schapansky, one of the felonies is alleged to have occurred between Jan. 1, 2018 and Dec. 24, 2019. The complaint alleges the suspect touched a girl under the age of 14 while she was sleeping.
The second count stems from allegations he did the same thing on a child under the age of 15 between April 1 and April 30 of 2023, according to the criminal complaint.
If convicted of either charge, Schapansky could be required to register as a sex offender.
The other 70 charges are reported to have occurred between July 2017 and June 2023 involving at least 46 minors identified in the complaints as Jane Does. Some of the charges say the people recorded have not been identified.
Authorities say anyone who believes they may be a victim in this case can contact the District Attorney’s Victim-Witness Assistance Program at (805) 568-2400 or (855) 840-3232.
KSBY reached out to Santa Barbara Charter School on Monday for comment on the case against Schapansky and is awaiting a response.
His staff page on the school's website was no longer active as of July 17. It's unclear when Schapansky last taught at the school.
Schapansky is scheduled to appear in court Friday morning in Santa Barbara to be arraigned on the charges.
