Pardoned J6 rioter re-arrested on outstanding ‘child predator’ charges: officials

A pardoned Jan. 6 rioter who spent over two weeks on the run from police in Texas has been re-arrested on an outstanding child sex crime charge, authorities said.

No longer a fugitive from justice, police in Houston took Andrew Taake, 36, into custody Thursday morning and booked him on a charge of “online solicitation of a minor.” His apprehension came after a surveillance team confirmed Tuesday that Taake was staying at a residence in Leon County, about 120 miles from downtown Houston.

The MAGA rioter was included in the group of more than 1,500 Capitol rioters who received blanket pardons from President Donald Trump just after he returned to the White House last month. He had been serving a six-year prison sentence for pepper-spraying officers and striking them with a metal "whip-like device" during the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.

At the time of the riot, Taake was out on bond on allegations of soliciting a minor online under 17 years old with the expectation that the victim would engage in sexual contact, according to media reports.

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But immediately after he emerged from federal custody under the executive pardon, Taake was being sought out by authorities, who said “he must answer” to the 2016 solicitation charge.

On Thursday, his bond in Houston’s Harris County had been revoked, the district attorney’s office in Harris County said. Taake is currently awaiting transfer to the Harris County Jail.

Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare highlighted the multi-agency effort when announcing Taake’s arrest 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 in custody,” Teare said in a statement.