Thomas Markle Sr detained after cutting off ankle monitor amid child porn charges
Thomas Markle Sr, 82, allegedly removed his electronic ankle monitor at 1:45 a.m., days after his arrest on child sexual abuse material charges. A US prosecutor has requested he be held without bond pending trial.
Meghan's father jailed after removing monitoring device
Thomas Markle Sr, the estranged father of the Duchess of Sussex, has been placed in federal custody after allegedly cutting off his electronic ankle monitor, nypost.com reports. The 82-year-old had been released to a dementia care home following his arrest on Friday on child pornography charges, only to remove the device in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
"He was ordered to wear a location monitoring device. He allegedly cut the bracelet off at 1:45 a.m. last night," said Bill Essayli, First Assistant United States Attorney in California, at a hearing on Tuesday. "Release conditions are court orders, not suggestions."
Essayli's office subsequently confirmed that federal law enforcement arrested Markle Sr. and that he is now in federal custody. US Magistrate Judge Lindsay Saxe Griffin of the Middle District of Florida ordered him detained without bond.
Markle Sr. faces one count of possession of child sexual abuse material. Prosecutors allege the material was discovered across two California storage units he had rented for approximately 18 years, with auto-payments recorded as recently as last month. At least two images allegedly depicted an adult man — identified by a witness as Markle Sr. — with a nude prepubescent girl. Investigators also reportedly found child pornography at a property he occupied in the Philippines and in a storage unit in Mexico.
Markle Sr. was first arrested on Friday at the Maravida Senior Living facility in Lakeland, Florida, taken from the building in handcuffs and a wheelchair following a leg amputation in December 2025. Tampa Magistrate Judge Lindsay Griffin had initially ruled he could be released back to the care home, subject to a psychiatric evaluation and a strict condition of no contact with minors.
"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," Essayli said Tuesday.
Although the case is being handled by federal prosecutors in Los Angeles, Markle Sr.'s initial court appearance took place in Florida, where he was arrested.
He faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted. His criminal defence lawyer had not responded to a request for comment by Tuesday afternoon.
Markle Sr. has denied the allegations, calling them "sick lies." His daughter, Meghan Markle, 45, said in a statement to The Post that she is "deeply distressed at the news that has come to light in the last 24 hours," adding that her thoughts are "with any children who may have been harmed."
Source: The Sun