Child predator dubbed 'monster parents fear most' cleared for release through California parole program David Allen Funston was convicted of kidnapping and sexually assaulting multiple children younger than 7 in the 1990s
Sacramento County Sheriff Jim Cooper tells Fox News Digital the convicted child predator cleared under California's elderly parole program is 'a definite danger to the community' and questions how the parole board reached its decision.
A California child molester once described by a judge as "the monster parents fear the most" has been cleared for release under the state's elderly parole program, a decision local law enforcement says puts communities at risk and prosecutors are now scrambling to stop.
David Allen Funston, 64, was sentenced in 1999 after a Sacramento County jury found him guilty of 16 felony counts for a series of abductions involving children younger than 7.
Funston received more than 20 years in prison plus three consecutive terms of 25 years to life. After serving more than two decades behind bars, he became eligible for consideration under California's Elderly Parole Program.
CDCR said that, on Jan. 12, 2026, Gov. Gavin Newsom referred the case back to the Board of Parole Hearings for further review by a majority of appointed commissioners. At a Feb. 18, 2026 meeting, the board panel reaffirmed its decision, recommending that Funston receive parole.
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"He's a definite danger to the community, and he's not rehabilitated," Cooper told Fox News Digital.
Cooper said he personally reviewed the original case reports and victim statements and questioned how the parole board could reach a different conclusion.
"What's ironic is the parole board read the same reports that I'm reading," Cooper said. "How the hell did they come to that conclusion versus what I came to?"
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He also pushed back on the premise that turning 50 automatically makes someone safe to release.
"Fifty is not old," Cooper said. "We know a lot of 50-year-olds. Everyone does."
Cooper noted that many people in their 50s and 60s are still working and active, underscoring that someone released at 64 is not necessarily frail or incapacitated and could be fully functioning in the community.
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Snake ·
