Thomas Markle Sr. has been taken back into federal custody after allegedly being caught cutting off his ankle monitor following his arrest on child porn charges, prosecutors say.
The 82-year-old estranged father of Meghan Markle was placed under house detention in Florida last week after being charged over possession of child sex abuse.
US Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli said he was requesting the court revoke Markle’s bail and re-detain him pending trial, writing on X: ‘Release conditions are court orders, not suggestions.’
That request was granted on Tuesday, as Judge Lindsay Griffin said Markle had ‘tampered’ with his ankle monitor and said he needed to be re-arrested because his living arrangements had become ‘untenable.’
In the hours after Meghan’s father was taken into Pinellas County Jail in Florida, his mugshot was released.
Markle’s initial arrest on Friday followed the seizure of approximately 78 items, including slides, film negatives, and books that contained suspected child sexual abuse images in storage in the Los Angeles area, Essayli said.
Markle has not yet entered a plea, though he previously denied earlier allegations as “sick lies”. He moved back to Florida for rehabilitation after suffering strokes and undergoing a leg amputation while living in the Philippines.
