Man pardoned in Jan. 6 case arrested on 2016 solicitation charge

(The Hill) – Texas authorities arrested a Jan. 6 rioter recently pardoned by President Trump on Thursday for online solicitation of a minor.

The Harris County District Attorney's office said it took Andrew Taake into custody Thursday morning for the May 2016 charges, according to a post to the social media platform X.

“Taake was arrested after a surveillance operation conducted on February 4th confirmed Taake was staying at a residence in Leon County. Taake’s bond in Harris County has been revoked," the office added, noting it is working with local authorities to transfer him to Harris County Jail.

Taake is accused of pursuing a sexual relationship with a person he knew to be younger than 17 while using an online messaging platform. The case was still pending when he was arrested by the FBI following the 2021 Capitol insurrection.

He was turned into the police just days after the riot by an individual who communicated with him on the dating app Bumble while he was in Washington, D.C.

Taake was sentenced to six years in prison last June after pleading guilty to assaulting police officers with bear spray during the riot at the Capitol. He was released from federal custody in Florence, Colorado on Jan. 20 despite the county’s request for federal authorities to hold him.

“Re-arresting individuals, like Taake, who were released with pending State warrants, will require significant resources,” Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare said in a statement at the time. “Know that we are already in the process of tracking Taake down, as he must answer for [the] 2016 charge of soliciting a minor online.”