Thomas Markle Sr. was allegedly caught removing his ankle monitor ahead of a court appearance in his child pornography case, prosecutors said.
Markle, 82, is accused of cutting off the GPS device early Tuesday, just days after his arrest over allegations that he stored child sexual abuse material in storage units in California.
U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli disclosed the allegation Tuesday, saying Markle attempted to remove the monitor while he was free on bond pending trial.
Essayli said Markle had been ordered to wear the device before his court appearances, but allegedly cut it off at 1:45 a.m. Tuesday.
Prosecutors are now asking that Markle’s release be revoked and that he be detained until trial, Essayli said.
A spokesman for the U.S. Marshals Service, the federal agency responsible for tracking Markle through the GPS monitor, said officials were working to determine precisely what had occurred.
“The adult living facility would not take him back. So, he was released to the custody of his other daughter who lives in Lakeland, Florida. And that’s the last that we’ve heard.”
Markle was arrested Friday after federal authorities seized about 78 items—including slides, film negatives and books—containing suspected child sexual abuse images from storage units in the Los Angeles area, Essayli said.
The Duchess of Sussex’s estranged father, Thomas Markle, 82, was arrested by the FBI in Florida on Friday over allegations that he possessed child pornography
The 82-year-old was taken into custody Friday morning when federal agents arrived at the Maravida Senior Living care home in Lakeland, Florida.
The arrest followed a Daily Mail report to the FBI about the contents of a storage unit Markle had rented in Mexico, where the alleged child pornography was found.
The former Hollywood lighting director was charged with one count of possessing child pornography.
Markle did not enter a plea during his initial court hearing. After being released on bond Friday evening, he was ordered to remain under house arrest at his care home.
However, the assisted living facility reportedly refused to allow him to return. On Saturday, the Daily Mail saw Mark Phillips, the partner of Markle’s eldest daughter, Samantha Markle, arrive at the home to collect his belongings.
Phillips later emerged carrying several bags filled with clothes, crutches and a stroller. When asked where Markle was, Phillips replied: “You will never find him.”
Phillips, 68, then visited another care home in the Lakeland area and went inside to collect a brochure before returning to the trailer he shares with wheelchair-bound Samantha, 61. The couple had placed a rope across the entrance and put up a no-trespassing sign.
Markle’s arrest came days after the Daily Mail alerted federal authorities to alleged child pornography in a storage unit he rented near his former home in Rosarito, Mexico
The Duchess of Sussex said she was “deeply distressed” by the allegations involving her father in the Philippines. She has not commented on the developments in Mexico since they emerged last week
Exclusive Daily Mail photographs showed Markle, who is wheelchair-bound after having his leg amputated in the Philippines last year, being escorted from his care home in handcuffs on Friday
When a Daily Mail reporter asked Markle during his arrest whether he was a pedophile, he answered in a weak voice: “No.” He did not respond when asked whether he had ever collected child pornography
At Friday’s hearing, the judge also ordered Markle to undergo a mental competency examination. His first court hearing is scheduled for November 20.
Markle’s daughter Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, said she was “deeply distressed” by the allegations against her father and described the “troubling” claims as a factor in their estrangement.
Meghan said a letter outlining the allegations had been sent to police in 2019. In a statement, she said she had been “given assurances” that the claims were being investigated.
“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 said.
Exclusive Daily Mail photographs taken Friday showed Markle, who has used a wheelchair since having his leg amputated in the Philippines last year, being led from the care home in handcuffs.
Markle appeared distressed as he scowled and looked around while agents placed him in a waiting ambulance.
Asked by a Daily Mail reporter whether he was a pedophile, Markle replied in a weak voice: “No.” He remained silent when asked if he had ever collected child pornography.
After alleged child pornography was found in a storage unit Markle rented near his former home in Rosarito, Mexico, reports said authorities in the Philippines were also “very close” to filing charges against him.
Among the images found in the unit was an undated photograph showing Markle on a bed with his arm around a young Asian woman; both are fully clothed. She appears alone and naked in several other photographs