Texas man pardoned over Jan. 6 attack is wanted by prosecutors over 2016 charge
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A Texas man released from prison under President Donald Trump’s sweeping pardons over the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol is wanted by authorities on a 2016 charge of soliciting a minor online, prosecutors say.
Andrew Taake, 36, was accused of attacking police officers with bear spray and a metal whip during the Capitol assault. He is one of a handful of former Jan. 6 defendants who have drawn attention from law enforcement since being pardoned last week.
Taake was released from a federal prison in Colorado after Trump pardoned nearly 1,600 people charged in connection with the Capitol attack.
He was released on Jan. 20 despite Texas authorities’ request to hold him for the pending warrant, according to a statement from the Harris County District Attorney’s Office. Taake was previously awaiting trial on the charge of soliciting sex with a 17-year-old through a messaging app.
“Re-arresting individuals, like Taake, who were released with pending state warrants, will require significant resources,” the DA’s office said in a statement. “Know that we are already in the process of tracking Taake down.”
Messages seeking comment were left Wednesday for Brett Podolsky, Taeke’s attorney, and for the federal Bureau of Prisons.
Here are the recent events involving other Jan. 6 participants:
Indiana
An Indiana man was fatally shot by a police officer during a traffic stop just days after his charges were dismissed.
Matthew Huttle, 42, was shot after “an altercation took place between the suspect and officer,” according to state police. No other details were released and authorities did not say what prompted the traffic stop.
Huttle had been pardoned for a misdemeanor offense for entering the Capitol on Jan. 6. and was sentenced to six months in custody in 2023. He traveled with his uncle from Indiana to Washington and recorded the attack for 16 minutes while inside the Capitol.
Florida
Daniel Ball, a Florida man, was arrested on federal gun charges in Washington, D.C., days after being released on felony charges for throwing an explosive device at officers in the Capitol.
The most recent charge was for carrying a firearm as a convicted felon, a case that got its start when authorities searched his home while he was under investigation for his involvement in Jan. 6. Ball had previously been convicted of domestic violence by strangulation in 2017 and battery on a law enforcement officer in 2022.
Kentucky
A Kentucky man also faces criminal charges after being pardoned by the president. Federal authorities are seeking to return Daniel Wilson to prison for firearms offenses they say were uncovered when authorities searched his home after the Capitol riot.
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Lathan is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
By NADIA LATHAN
Associated Press/Report for America
