Sex Offender Serves 11 Years; Set For Release In Summer 2024

On Thursday, Aug. 8th 2024, a man convicted of sex crimes with a minor, who has  served only about 11 years of his 45-year prison sentence, was granted his release by Riverside County Superior Court Judge Scott P. Williams under California’s “Compassionate Release” law.

The sex offender is 72 year old Frank Duane Brown who pled guilty in 2013 to six felony counts of forced lewd and lascivious sexual acts on a child under the age of 14 years old.

He was sentenced to 45 years in prison.

But the court received a letter from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, scheduling an initial hearing on July 18th 2024 in front of Judge Williams.

To be decided was whether Brown was eligible for compassionate release due to his medical diagnosis of metastatic liver cancer. The Riverside County District Attorney’s Office opposed the petition for release based on Brown’s high risk to public safety and a lack of reliable evidence supporting Brown’s medical condition and outlook. 

Ignoring that, Judge Williams granted Brown his release on August 8th 2024, and Brown is set to be released from prison sometime in the next 30 days.

Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin called Brown’s release appalling considering the offender’s violent crime against a child.

Hestrin says “our office remains steadfast in opposing the early release of felons to protect victims and ensure public safety. It is outrageous that we must constantly advocate to keep a clearly dangerous sexual predator behind bars for their full sentence. This is a battle we are committed to fighting every single day until this practice is put to an end.”

Justice scales and wooden gavel.

Photo from Alpha Media Portland OR via Getty Images. used August 12th 2024