Thomas Markle, the 82-year-old estranged father of Meghan Markle, removed his ankle monitor overnight after he was arrested on a child sexual abuse material charge late last week, according to the Department of Justice.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli, who presides over the Central District of California, shared the news on social media.
Thomas Markle allegedly cut off his ankle monitor under house arrest at 1:45 a.m. Tuesday, four days after he was allowed by a federal judge to remain out of custody pending trial. He is now back in custody after the incident.
“Release conditions are court orders, not suggestions,” Essayli posted on X. “We are asking the court to revoke his release and detain him pending trial, and we will continue to prosecute this case to the fullest extent of the law.”
The defendant is being held in Tampa, Florida, where a court hearing about his detention awaited him Tuesday afternoon.
Markle was arrested in Florida on Friday after federal authorities seized 78 items containing suspected child sexual abuse material from two storage units in Los Angeles. He faces one count of possession of child sexual abuse material, which comes with up to 20 years in federal prison.
On Friday, the judge presiding over the case ordered a mental competency exam and a report by Nov. 20 to determine whether Markle is fit to stand trial.
Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, said last month she was “deeply distressed” by the allegations surrounding her father. The member of the British royal family also revealed that she had been made aware of her father’s sexual proclivities as far back as 2018, when a letter containing the allegations was sent to the London police and subsequently shared with her.
MEGHAN MARKLE’S FATHER ARRESTED ON FEDERAL CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE MATERIAL CHARGES
“It made troubling and disturbing allegations against my father and I was given assurances that these were being investigated,” she said of the letter. “I hope it can now be understood that, despite certain media publications’ distortion over the years, any distance from my father and my choice to not allow him to have contact with our children was for one reason: to protect them.”
Meghan Markle shares two children, a boy and a girl, with Prince Harry. They have been married since 2018.