Thomas Markle cuts off ankle monitor days after federal arrest for CSAM
The 82-year-old father of Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, was taken into custody again in Tampa, Florida, after removing the electronic device placed on him following his initial detention in California.
By Aiko Petrov ·
Eighty-two-year-old Thomas Markle was arrested again on Tuesday after cutting off the ankle monitor he was wearing in federal custody. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said Markle removed the device at 1:45 a.m. and was taken into custody shortly afterward. He was in Tampa, Florida, waiting for a hearing in federal court when the incident occurred.
Markle’s initial detention happened on Friday. Authorities seized approximately 78 items from storage units in the Los Angeles area. These items included slides, film negatives, and books containing suspected child sexual abuse material. The discovery led to his arrest after he was transported by ambulance from a senior care center in Lakeland. A judge released him hours later on the condition of electronic monitoring. That condition required him to wear an ankle tether.
The judge also ordered a mental competency exam and a report by November 20. Markle had been living in the Philippines earlier this year when he suffered a stroke. He subsequently had his left leg amputated, which forced his return to the United States. He had rented the California storage units since 2008.
The case gained national attention after The Sun reported that Meghan’s half brother found the collection of images while clearing their father’s home in the Philippines. That discovery prompted the search of the U.S. storage units. Meghan, who married Prince Harry at Windsor Castle in 2018, said she was deeply distressed by the allegations. She revealed that a letter with troubling claims about Markle had been sent to London police in 2019. She stated she was given assurances that the matter was being investigated.
Meghan said the distance between her and her father was a choice made to protect their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. She noted that the 2019 letter contained specific allegations that were being reviewed by authorities. Her statement clarified that her decision to limit contact with Markle was not merely personal but driven by the need to shield her children from the issues surrounding his history.
Markle is an American citizen and former actor. He is currently in custody in Florida while the federal court process continues. The next scheduled step in his case is the competency report due by November 20. The storage units where the material was found had been rented by Markle for nearly two decades.
