J6 Convict Pardoned By Trump Arrested for ‘Solicitation of a Minor’

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A Jan. 6 convict pardoned by President Donald Trump for his role in the 2021 Capitol riots was arrested on Thursday for solicitation of a minor.

Andrew Taake, who was serving a 74-month prison sentence for assaulting law enforcement officers, was released last month under Trump’s mass pardon for those convicted of taking part in the Capitol riots. Just a few weeks later, however, Taake was arrested again over a 2016 charge of solicitation of a minor.

“At 11:30 this morning, the Harris County District Attorney’s Fugitive Apprehension Section, in close coordination with multiple law enforcement agencies, took Andrew Taake into custody,” the Harris County District Attorney announced in a statement. “Taake was wanted in Harris County for online solicitation of a minor, charged in May 2016.”

The statement continued, “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 Taake’s bond in Harris County has been revoked. HCSO will work with authorities in Leon County to transfer Taake to the Harris County Jail.”

Taake was a fugitive for several weeks until his arrest on Thursday.

“We would like to thank the coordinated efforts of our office’s Fugitive Apprehension Section, Leon County Sheriff’s Office, and Texas Department of Public Safety for their diligence in getting this suspected child predator back into custody,” said Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare.

While Taake had been arrested in 2016 on charges of solicitation of a minor, his case was paused after he was arrested for his participation in the Capitol riots.

“Before Andrew Taake’s release from custody in Florence, Colorado on January 20, a member of our HCSO Fugitive Warrants Division requested that federal authorities hold him, due to his pending warrant in Harris County,” the District Attorney’s office said last month, before Taake’s arrest. “That request was filed in 2022. The Bureau of Prisons informed HCDAO they needed a certified warrant to prevent Taake’s release. A clerk faxed a copy of that warrant on 1/15/25, but Taake was released five days later, in accordance with President Trump’s Pardon order.”