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California Sets Full Parole Board Review After Panel OKs Release of Serial Child Molester

The case tests a 2020 law allowing inmates 50 or older who have served 20 years to seek elderly parole.

Overview

  • A three-member panel granted parole to Gregory Lee Vogelsang, 57, who was sentenced to 355 years to life for molesting multiple boys in the 1990s.
  • The governor’s office referred Vogelsang’s case to the full Board of Parole Hearings for a March 18 review that will determine whether the grant stands.
  • Sacramento County District Attorney Thien Ho and Sheriff Jim Cooper condemned the decision, pointing to parole-hearing remarks about persistent sexual thoughts and an assessment rating his reoffense risk as above average.
  • State Assemblyman Tom Lackey said he is introducing legislation to restrict elderly parole for serious offenders following the latest parole grant.
  • The decision follows the David Allen Funston case, in which a granted parole was halted when a Placer County warrant led to his custody hours before his scheduled release.