Valerie Ehrke takes a selfie with a friend while attending the Trump rally in Washington, D.C on Jan. 6, 2021. Photo courtesy of Valerie Ehrke

ARBUCKLE, CA (MPG) - Valerie Ehrke, a farm girl from Arbuckle, never imagined that her trip to Washington, D.C. in January 2021 would become a pivotal moment in her life. Originally motivated by a desire to witness historic political events firsthand, Ehrke’s participation led her on a tumultuous journey through the United States legal system, culminating in an unexpected presidential pardon.

“I truly believe everything happens for us, not to us,” said Ehrke. “It’s my job, and my duty, to alchemize that horrific experience into something beautiful and something full of love.”

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ehrke said she had never been deeply involved with politics. She spent her time tending to her business, Valerie Ehrke Design, and dabbling in the healing arts. But, like many others, the political climate during the COVID-19 lockdowns pushed her to become more engaged.

“By the time Jan. 6 rolled around, I thought I had missed all my opportunities to go to a Trump rally,” said Ehrke. “I wanted to go to a big event that I knew the press would cover and I wanted to see if what the (mainstream media) had to say about it matched what I witnessed myself.”

Ehrke soon booked her tickets and flew to Washington D.C. with a friend. On the morning of Jan. 6, 2021, Ehrke attended the rally where President Trump delivered a speech and urged the crowd to march to the Capitol to protest the Electoral College certification.

“The people didn’t seem to be in riot mode at all,” said Ehrke. “There were families with their children, people flying flags and taking video footage. There were no weapons, no broken windows and nobody fighting.”

After a while, the day’s chill began to take its toll and Ehrke headed back to her hotel room to warm up. Once inside, she watched the events unfold from her television. 

“CNN was showing Trump supporters going through the rotunda in the Capitol building inside the velvet ropes, flying their flags,” said Ehrke. “CNN was like, ‘Look what Trump supporters are doing. They’re walking through the rotunda but these areas are open to the public anyway.’”

Here is Valerie Ehrke’s view from the steps of the Capitol building in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021. Photo courtesy of Valerie Ehrke

Ehrke, who had traveled so far to witness the event, said that she thought to herself, “I’ve come too far to miss this.”

She bundled up and made her way back to the Capitol. Upon arriving at the Capitol, Ehrke saw a crowd gathered around the glass doors on the north side of the building, waiting to be let in.

“I saw people up on the balconies and the stairs on the north side of the building, so I walked over to where everyone was standing,” she said. “They were all standing in front of these glass doors and I didn’t know why but I noticed that they all appeared to be waiting for something.”

Ehrke joined the crowd and about 10 minutes later, she said the doors were opened for them. Ehrke slowly made her way inside with the rest, “concert style,” but the group was halted again after a few feet. 

“I was at the tail end of the crowd, and I’m shorter than most men, and the crowd was mostly men, so I couldn’t see ahead of me more than a little bit,” said Ehrke. “At some point up ahead of me, it stopped. I don’t know what was stopping people because I couldn’t see.”

At this point, Ehrke said, she began to notice the smell of pepper spray in the air and felt the crowd getting pushed back. As people attempted to move backward, Ehrke found herself stuck.

“I tucked into a corner between the door and the wall for safety,” Ehrke said, not wanting to climb over the pile of people in front of her. "Then some man grabbed me by my jacket and just threw me out of the door.”

Ehrke spent the remainder of her trip sightseeing. Not long after her return to California, Ehrke said, she was contacted by the FBI who used social media posts, flight records, cell phone location and bank account data to track her involvement. About a week after her D.C. trip, two agents approached her as she was leaving her office.

“I didn’t think I’d done anything wrong, so I sat them down in my office and told them everything I could in the 20-minute time span that I had,” said Ehrke.

Ehrke said that the agents gave Ehrke their contact information and let her know they would be in contact if charges would be pressed.

“After that, I started looking around for an attorney,” said Ehrke. “At that point, they were difficult to find because many attorneys are left leaning and anybody on the left thought, we were just the crappiest people on the planet.”

About three days after the agents’ visit, Ehrke said, she was informed that charges would be pressed and she was eventually required to turn herself in at the federal building in Sacramento.

“I was under so much stress, I wasn’t sleeping at all,” said Ehrke. “I had a friend drive me because I just wasn’t functioning.”

She described the overwhelming scene upon her arrival at the federal building.

“The whole building was covered with Humvees and AK-47s, and I was in a state of panic so we pulled over on some side street so I could call the lady FBI agent and ask what I was supposed to do,” Ehrke said.

Eventually, Ehrke was charged with several offenses, including attempting to interfere with Congress, parading and picketing on Capitol grounds, and trespassing. After a difficult nine-month process, Ehrke took a plea deal and pleaded guilty to a single misdemeanor charge, parading and picketing, to avoid jail time.

“I feel like I got lucky. A lot of others got jail time,” said Ehrke. 

Despite these legal hurdles, Ehrke’s journey took an unexpected turn when, in January 2025, she received a presidential pardon as part of a larger initiative to pardon individuals involved in the Jan. 6 events. She thought the pardon might come in the mail with an official signature but was surprised to learn the process is much more informal.

“I wasn’t contacted by anybody,” said Ehrke. “After about three weeks, I thought, ‘I wonder if I have to ask for it’ so I did an AI search, and it gave an email address to the U.S. Pardon Attorney.”

She was then directed to email the attorney’s office with the subject line “January 20th 2025 pardon” and to include her case number in the body of the email.

“I knew the pardon was already in progress because it was already in progress because shortly after that I received a letter, dated from before I even made the email request,” said Ehrke. “The FFA and the TSA were removing my security risk status, and I was also able to get my pilot's license back.”

Valerie Ehrke took this picture while approaching a crowd gathered at the north end of the Capitol Building on Jan. 6, 2021. Photo courtesy of Valerie Ehrke

As part of her healing process, Ehrke wrote a memoir, “January 6th – Chaos to Christ.” In the book, she details her personal experience during the Capitol attack and the spiritual transformation that followed.

“My passion now, as life is ever evolving, is helping people process and integrate their anger and trauma,” said Ehrke. 

Ehrke continues to run her architectural design business where she helps clients bring their dream homes to life. Additionally, she hosts occasional events such as sound baths on her family’s land in Arbuckle. Despite the political storm she found herself in, Ehrke remains focused on personal growth and healing, working to help others process their struggles.

Reflecting on her experiences, Ehrke has become more vocal about her political views.

“I agree with the left on several key issues, such as protecting the Earth and sexual freedom,” she said. “But I do not believe the two-party system is the best answer.”

Now, Ehrke hopes to inspire others through her story, showing that it’s possible to transform pain into something beautiful.