A California inmate convicted of kidnapping and molesting children was stopped from walking free this week after authorities issued a new arrest warrant just days before his scheduled release.
According to Fox News, state corrections officials confirmed that 64-year-old David Allen Funston was transferred to law enforcement custody at approximately 7:30 a.m. after Placer County filed fresh criminal charges tied to his 1996 case in Roseville.
Funston had been granted parole and was expected to leave prison later this week.
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said Funston was originally sentenced in 1999 to life with the possibility of parole for crimes that included kidnapping and lewd acts involving children under 14. Prosecutors said the case involved multiple victims.
He was initially given three life sentences but became eligible for release under California’s Elderly Parole Program, which allows inmates age 50 or older who have served at least 20 consecutive years to be considered for parole.
The Board of Parole Hearings found Funston suitable for release on Sept. 24, 2025. Gov. Gavin Newsom later referred the decision back for an en banc review, but on Feb. 18, 2026, the board reaffirmed its recommendation to grant parole.
Placer County prosecutors then refiled charges within the statute of limitations and secured a new warrant, preventing his release.
California GOP Chair Corrin Rankin criticized the parole process following the last-minute arrest.
“This last-minute warrant doesn’t fix the problem — it exposes it. California Democrats, led by Gavin Newsom, built a parole system that was ready and willing to release a violent child predator back into our community. Newsom signed the laws that created these loopholes, appointed the people who uphold them, and the Democratic majority in the legislature continues to prioritize the well-being of criminals over victims,” Rankin said.
A former prosecutor involved in Funston’s original conviction also praised the new charges.
“God bless Placer County DA for charging David Funston for crimes committed by this serial child predator,” the former prosecutor said. “Let’s remember that @CAgovernor signed the law allowing this to happen. But Placer DA stepped in to stop this insanity.”
One of Funston’s victims, identified as Amelia, said the parole decision had been devastating.
“I’m disgusted with the fact that they would even believe anything that he would happen to say,” Amelia told “The Ingraham Angle.” “I don’t believe that people like that change.”
She described lasting trauma and said the abuse affected her ability to have children.
“I would love to have a child, and this is what this man took from me. And I feel like, personally, that’s very hurtful,” she said. “I have trauma. I don’t trust anybody. I don’t trust anything.”
Amelia also expressed fear about what could happen if Funston returned to the Sacramento area.
“If he gets out, who knows if he’ll do it again?” she said. “I was told that he fantasizes still about children… why would you let this man out? When he gets out, how do you not know if he will continue?”
Funston reportedly told the parole board he was “disgusted and ashamed” and “truly sorry” for his past actions, but Amelia rejected the apology.
Sacramento County Sheriff Jim Cooper and District Attorney Thien Ho had previously warned that Funston remained a danger to the community and urged action to block his release.
