Pardoned Jan. 6 rioter arrested for solicitation of sex with minor

A Texas man, who was pardoned by U.S. President Donald Trump successful January for his relation successful the Jan. 6, 2021 U.S. Capitol riot, was arrested connected Thursday for online solicitation of enactment with a minor.

Andrew Taake, 36, was taken into custody connected Thursday for the May 2016 charges, according to a station connected X from the Harris County territory attorney’s office.

“At 11:30 this morning, the Harris County District Attorney’s Fugitive Apprehension Section, successful adjacent coordination with aggregate instrumentality enforcement agencies, took Andrew Taake into custody. Taake was wanted successful Harris County for online solicitation of a minor, charged successful May 2016,” the station read.

The district attorney’s bureau said Taake was arrested aft a surveillance cognition conducted connected Tuesday confirmed helium was staying astatine a residence successful Leon County.

“Taake’s enslaved successful Harris County has been revoked. HCSO volition enactment with authorities successful Leon County to transportation Taake to the Harris County Jail,” it added.

Taake is accused of pursuing a intersexual narration with a idiosyncratic helium knew to beryllium younger than 17 portion utilizing a messaging app. The lawsuit was inactive pending erstwhile helium was arrested by the FBI pursuing the 2021 Capitol riot.

“We would similar to convey the coordinated efforts of our office’s Fugitive Apprehension Section, Leon County Sheriff’s Office, and Texas Department of Public Safety for their diligence successful getting this suspected kid predator backmost into custody,” Sean Teare, Harris Country territory attorney, said successful a statement.

Taake was antecedently accused of attacking constabulary officers with carnivore spray and a metallic whip during the Capitol assault. He was sentenced to six years successful situation aft pleading blameworthy to 1 number of assaulting, resisting oregon impeding officers utilizing a unsafe limb connected Dec. 20, 2023.

He was released from a national situation successful Colorado connected Jan. 20 contempt Texas authorities’ petition to clasp him for the pending warrant, according to a connection from the Harris County District Attorney’s Office. Taake was antecedently awaiting proceedings connected the complaint of soliciting enactment with a 17-year-old done a messaging app.

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“Re-arresting individuals, similar Taake, who were released with pending authorities warrants, volition necessitate important resources,” the DA’s bureau said successful a statement. “Know that we are already successful the process of tracking Taake down.”

Taake was among the 1,500-plus radical charged with crimes successful the Capitol riot. Trump supporters began leaving prison connected Jan. 21 aft helium utilized his clemency powers connected his archetypal time backmost successful bureau to undo the monolithic prosecution of the unprecedented battle connected the spot of American democracy.

Another Jan. 6 subordinate who was pardoned was re-arrested Jan. 22 on a pending weapon charge.

Daniel Charles Ball, 39, was apprehended connected a complaint of possession of a firearm arsenic a convicted felon, according to an apprehension warrant returned by national prosecutors successful Florida. The warrant was filed past August and constabulary seized a .22-calibre firearm and ammunition from Ball’s home.

Prosecutors had accused Ball of utilizing an explosive instrumentality to battle officers during the Jan. 6 riot. He was arrested by section instrumentality enforcement officers successful May 2023 for his alleged relation successful the riot.

—With files from The Associated Press