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There are moments when all you can do is shake your head in disbelief. The heartbreaking case of Iryna Zarutska, a young Ukrainian immigrant tragically murdered in Charlotte, North Carolina, in August 2025, is one such instance. Discovering that her assailant had been arrested at least 14 times prior is enough to make anyone feel despair or frustration.
This situation underscores a troubling pattern within the justice system in some states, where victims often bear the brunt of violent crimes.
In California, a recent decision by a parole board under Governor Gavin Newsom’s administration has sparked outrage. It seems to convey a disturbing message: the concerns of past and future victims are overshadowed by a focus on the rights of criminals.
Consider this: what kind of parole system would allow such an individual to be released back into society? The answer lies in what some call a “progressive” approach to parole.
To wit:
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.
What kind of “parole program” would allow this guy to ever see the light of freedom again? A “progressive” program, naturally.
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
The social media post above by the Sacramento Sheriff’s Department goes on to describe just what a monster we’re dealing with here:
The California Parole Board has granted parole to David Allen Funston, a serial child molester who used candy and toys to lure children seven years old and younger.
He was convicted of 16 counts of kidnapping and child molestation. Multiple young children were victimized, some as young as four years old. He was sentenced to more than 20 years in prison, along with three additional consecutive sentences of 25 years to life. A judge described him as “the monster parents fear the most.”
Under California’s ridiculous Elderly Parole Program, the Department continued, inmates over 50 are eligible for parole, and this creep is 64, so evidently, he’s just your harmless old uncle who poses no threat. Except that as a person of the male persuasion who is long past his 20s, I can tell you that that is one of the stupidest things I’ve ever heard. If a guy is prone to those types of behavior when he was younger, being 64 years old is unlikely to slow him down in the slightest.
This is the “compassion” so often touted by Newsom-like leftists:
🚨 Good God. Prepare to be outraged like *never* before.
California is giving a serial child sexual predator “elderly parole” – even though David Allen Funston is only 64.
His rape victims were age 7 and under. Even liberal prosecutors are shocked. pic.twitter.com/m95ArxfAcj
— Sia Kordestani (@SiaKordestani) February 22, 2026
President Trump is 100 percent on target for wanting to end the era of lawlessness in all too many of our leftist strongholds, but it’s only the people who can make permanent change. They need to remember Iryna Zarutska and so many others, including the victims of this Funston monster, and start hammering woke extremist politicians who do things like come up with this preposterous parole program.
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It’s not even the only example of this madness in Newsom’s California:
A California parole board just granted “elder parole” to a 62 yr old child rapist from my county.
In 2000, a jury convicted him of over 20 counts of forcible rape and other crimes against a little girl, his step daughter.
He impregnated her as well and violently tried to… pic.twitter.com/zg50nVj0YE
— Jeff Reisig (@jeffreisig) February 10, 2026
He impregnated her as well and violently tried to induce miscarriage by pushing her out of a car. He pointed a gun at her too and pulled the trigger. It misfired.
The voters must make them pay for this mightily at the ballot box.
We’re seeing some signs of mental awakening in the Golden State, but until people start rising up en masse against these types of depraved decisions, we’re likely to see more of the same.
It makes my blood boil.
Editor’s Note: With President Trump back in the White House, the state of our Union is strong once again.
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