The recent release of a serial rapist who drugged young women in college bars during the late 1990s is garnering outrage in the San Gabriel Valley community where the man, who is an heir to a cosmetics fortune, is reportedly residing.<\/p>\n
Andrew Stuart Luster<\/a>, the great-grandson of Max Factor, was convicted in 2003 on 86 felony counts of poisoning, rape, sodomy and oral copulation of unconscious victims. A jury viewed video he made of himself engaging in sexual acts with women rendered unconscious by GHB, the so-called date-rape drug.<\/p>\n Glendora Mayor David Fredendall said in a Friday statement<\/a> that his community was \u201coutraged\u201d at Luster\u2019s release, which he attributed to California voter-approved laws making it easier for those convicted of nonviolent felonies to be released early. <\/p>\n \u201cThe people of Glendora should not have to worry about their safety because of a decision by the State that allows an individual with a history of rape and violence to now live in close proximity to schools, parks, playgrounds, churches, and community centers. They deserve better than explanations that hide behind the mechanics of a deeply flawed system,\u201d Fredenall said in the news release.<\/p>\n Luster\u2019s case gained major media attention when he fled to Mexico in 2003 after paying $1 million in bail<\/a>. He was later captured in Puerto Vallarta<\/a> by American bounty hunter and reality TV personality Duane \u201cDog\u201d Chapman.<\/a><\/p>\n Luster, 62, was released to parole supervision on Oct. 11 \u201cafter serving his full sentence as required by law,\u201d according to a statement from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation last week. The department said Luster was eligible for and accumulated 977 days of work time and good conduct credit toward his release. <\/p>\n \u201cThis is not an early release,\u201d the department said.<\/p>\n Luster\u2019s crime, the rape of an unconscious person, technically qualifies as a nonviolent offense, the Ventura County district attorney\u2019s office explained to KCLU<\/a> in 2023. <\/p>\n Typically, those convicted of a nonviolent felony must serve 50% of their sentence. Luster was sentenced to 124 years in prison in 2003; however, in 2013 that sentence was reduced to 50 years<\/a>. He has since served about 25 of those years, including time spent under house arrest and in pretrial custody. <\/p>\n A corrections department board two years ago moved to grant Luster\u2019s early release on parole, over the objections of all three victims, who appeared at the hearing and spoke against a release. Prosecutors with the Ventura County district attorney\u2019s office challenged the move, arguing Luster continued to misrepresent the nature of his crimes and remained a threat to public safety. The decision was subsequently reversed<\/a> by a majority of parole board commissioners.<\/p>\n Ventura County Dist. Atty. Erik Nasarenko said last year that his office would \u201ccontinue to strenuously oppose any early release from state prison.\u201d But his office pointed out that, because Luster\u2019s sentence had been reduced despite prosecutors\u2019 \u201cvehement opposition,\u201d Luster would be released regardless in late 2026.<\/p>\n