Police alert public to sexual predator known as 'Pirate' living in Northern California town

The Redding Police Department alerted the public a man named Pirate with a history of crime is living in the Northern California city. "He was contacted by officers earlier in the day and is not currently wanted for any crimes," a Facebook post from police stated. less The Redding Police Department alerted the public a man named Pirate with a history of crime is living in the Northern California city. "He was contacted by officers earlier in the day and is not currently ... more Photo: Redding Police Department Photo: Redding Police Department Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Police alert public to sexual predator known as 'Pirate' living in Northern California town 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

A man whose legal name is, simply, Pirate, and is easily recognizable by his heavily tattooed face, has moved to a Northern California town and created a stir due to his history of violent rape charges.

Concerned residents have posted on social media about Pirate's whereabouts in Redding, a city 170 miles north of Sacramento. The Redding Police Department addressed the public outcry on Facebook, posting an image of Pirate and stating, "He was contacted by officers earlier in the day and is not currently wanted for any crimes."

Sergeant Eric Forsberg confirmed that while Pirate may have been charged with crimes in the past, he has served his time and is not currently on probation or parole — but "happens to have a very memorable name and face tattoo."

"He has lived here for awhile," Forsberg added. "The firestorm came from someone else's social media post. A lot of the information was inaccurate. He hasn't committed any crimes. He's just here. Welcome to Redding. There's nothing with him right now. He's not wanted in connection to anything here. There aren't any wants in the system."

The man, who was formerly known as Daniel Selovich before legally changing his name to Pirate in 2013, has a criminal history that goes back more than a decade and crosses state lines. In 2010, he was charged with rape and assault committed against a Redding woman in 2004, according to the Redding Record Searchlight. He took a plea bargain and spent four years in prison.

Out of jail in 2015, Pirate moved to Alaska where he was accused in 2015 of holding a woman captive for five weeks in a cabin and raping her, according to the Anchorage Daily News. The woman eventually escaped in a helicopter rescue. The "charges were dismissed" as the victim died of a drug overdose, the Daily News reported.

Pirate was on his way to walking out of a correctional facility in Fairbanks, but was extradited by Nevada authorities in 2016 because DNA evidence linked him to a 12-year-old Las Vegas rape case, according to KTUU-TV. He was charged with sexual assault of a mentally and physically disabled woman at a Las Vegas motel and ultimately served a sentence for felony sexually-motivated coercion until being released in late 2019.

Pirate returned to Fairbanks where a concerned resident posted news of his arrival in town on Facebook, unleashing a controversy. He has since moved to Redding.

Amy Graff is a digital editor with SFGATE. Email her: agraff@sfgate.com.