Thomas Markle, father of Meghan, cut off his ankle monitor while awaiting hearing, DOJ says

Thomas Markle, 82, the estranged father of Meghan Markle, removed an electronic monitoring device from his ankle while awaiting a court hearing in Tampa, Florida, authorities revealed on Tuesday. Markle was detained shortly after removing the ankle bracelet at 1:45 a.m. He had been arrested on Friday, following the seizure of around 78 items, including slides, film negatives, and books containing suspected child sexual abuse images, found in storage units in the Los Angeles area.

Markle was taken from a senior care center in Lakeland by ambulance and released on the condition of being electronically monitored, along with a mental competency exam and a report by November 20. The incident came to light after reports from The Sun, a British tabloid newspaper, claimed Meghan's half-brother discovered child sexual abuse images during the sorting of their father's belongings in the Philippines.

The removal of the device and Markle's arrest followed the seizure of the alleged child sexual abuse material, and his daughter, Meghan, expressed her distress over the allegations against him.