California just lit a five-alarm fire. And Nevada is standing in the same dry brush.
A convicted serial child molester in California, David Allen Funston, was nearly released under that state’s Elderly Parole Program.
A man once described by a judge as “the monster parents fear the most.” Granted parole.
Let that sink in.
Only last-minute criminal charges stopped his release.
Parents were furious. Law enforcement was furious. Victims were retraumatized.
SENTENCED TO THREE LIFE TERMS: WHY WAS SERIAL CHILD MOLESTER DAVID FUNSTON GRANTED EARLY RELEASE?
The people of Sacramento, and every parent across California, deserve answers.
The California Parole Board has granted parole to David Allen Funston, a serial child molester who… pic.twitter.com/HzvOORZXw5
— Sacramento Sheriff (@sacsheriff) February 23, 2026
Now here’s the part that should make every Nevada parent sit up straight.
In 2019, Democrats in Nevada – along with a handful of “go along” Republicans in the State Senate – passed Assembly Bill 236.
That bill created our own geriatric parole law under NRS 213.12155. It allows inmates 65 or older, who have served the majority of their maximum sentence, to seek early release.
Supporters sold it as reform. As compassion. As cost savings.
They said it would reduce prison overcrowding. They said older inmates are less dangerous. They said it would save taxpayer dollars.
Here’s what they didn’t say loudly enough: Once you build the door, someone will eventually walk through it.
Yes, Nevada’s law excludes violent crimes, sexual offenses, and crimes against children. Yes, it’s narrower than California’s.
Today.
But laws change. Restrictions get softened. Definitions shift. Political winds turn. It’s called “camel’s nose” legislation.
California didn’t start where it is now. Its elderly parole program began in 2014 under a federal overcrowding order. It was expanded in 2020. Step by step.
Now a serial child predator was almost back on the street.
During hearings on AB 236, prosecutors raised red flags. The Nevada District Attorneys Association opposed it. Washoe County District Attorney Christopher Hicks warned about the risk to communities.
Republicans in the Assembly voted no. The final Assembly vote was 28 to 12. Every Republican opposed it. The Senate passed it 19 to 2 – including six very misguided Republicans.
The promise was savings. The pitch was compassion. But public safety is not a budget line item.
It’s your front door. It’s your kids riding bikes after dinner. It’s your wife walking to the car in a grocery store parking lot.
Advocates like to cite national studies showing lower recidivism among older inmates. That’s fine. Data matters.
But tell that to a victim if even one dangerous person slips through. Tell that to a parent who trusted the system.
We’re told this hasn’t caused problems in Nevada yet. Good. Let’s keep it that way.
Leadership isn’t about waiting for tragedy. It’s about preventing it. If I’m elected to the Nevada State Senate in District 20, I will support legislation to repeal Nevada’s geriatric parole statute.
Not tweak it. Not study it. Repeal it.
Because sentences handed down by judges mean something. Because victims deserve certainty. Because criminals who earned long sentences for serious crimes should serve them.
Compassion belongs first with the innocent, not the convicted.
California is now scrambling to clean up a mess created in the name of reform. Nevada still has time. We can be smart. We can be strong.
And we can send a clear message. In Nevada, public safety comes first. Always.
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