A convicted child predator who admitted he is to young girls pleaded not guilty Monday to a new child sex abuse charge â as California Republicans escalate pressure on Gov. Gavin Newsom over the parole board that nearly set him free.
David Allen Funston, 64, pleaded not guilty Monday in Placer County Superior Court to a felony charge alleging lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14 tied to a 1996 case in Roseville. A judge set his next court date for April 6. He has been held without bail since Feb. 26 after his attorney withdrew a request to have bail considered.
Funston had been under Californias Elderly Parole Program, which allows certain inmates to seek parole once they turn 50 and have served at least 20 consecutive years in prison.Â
Now, state Republicans say his case exposes serious flaws in the system.
California Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones announced legislation to tighten the elderly parole law after the board approved Funstons release.
“Turning 50 does not mean violent criminals no longer pose a threat to the public, but thats how this broken system of elderly parole treats them,” Jones said. “If theyre going to let monsters like this out of prison early, despite no signs of true rehabilitation and little of their lengthy sentences actually served, then we have a duty to act.”
Jones bill would raise the minimum age for eligibility from 50 to 60 and increase the required time served from 20 years to 25.
“The Parole Board has proven time and again it is incapable of acting in the best interest of Californians,” Jones said. “Its painfully clear that the legislature needs to intervene.”
At the same time, the California Republican Party launched a petition demanding that Newsom replace members of the Board of Parole Hearings, all of whom were appointed by the governor.
“Violent child predators need to stay in our correctional facilities, not get a second chance while victims get a life sentence,” California GOP Chairwoman Corrin Rankin said during a press conference at the State Capitol.
“California families are fed up with Governor Newsom’s soft-on-crime policies that prioritize criminals over victims,” she added, arguing that the boards decisions nearly allowed “monsters like serial child predator David Allen Funston” to walk free.
State Sen. Suzette Martinez Valladares said learning of Funstons parole “made me sick to my stomach.”
“If the governor can sign laws with loopholes and appoint the people who make parole decisions, then its his responsibility to step in and right this egregious wrong,” she said.
A spokesperson for Newsom told Fox News Digital the governor referred the case back to the Board of Parole Hearings for further review to assess suitability and public safety risk.
The governors office said parole eligibility is determined by state law and sentencing decisions, while the parole board evaluates whether an inmate poses an unreasonable risk before release. The administration also pointed to data showing parole is granted in a small percentage of hearings and that individuals released through elderly parole historically have low recidivism rates.
Funston was originally serving a life sentence for the 1995 kidnappings, rapes and sexual assaults of eight Sacramento-area children.
The California Board of Parole Hearings disturbing admissions during multiple hearings, including his acknowledgment that he remains attracted to female children.
In a September 2025 hearing, Funston acknowledged he is still sexually attracted to female children.
“Are you still attracted to female children?” a parole commissioner asked.
“Yes,” Funston replied.
He also admitted to having fantasies as recently as 2021 about an 8-year-old girl and previously told commissioners he targeted children because they were “vulnerable and available” and because he enjoyed the power and control
