Thomas Markle, the estranged father of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, was ordered detained in Florida on November 10 after prosecutors alleged he cut off his electronic ankle monitor. The 82-year-old had been released pending trial on conditions that included home detention and electronic monitoring.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said the monitor was allegedly removed at 1:45 a.m. Markle appeared in federal court in Tampa, where a judge ordered him held pending trial. The Associated Press reported that authorities took him into custody after learning the device had been cut off. The location where it happened was not clear.
Markle had also been barred from traveling outside the Middle District of Florida and the Central District of California. Prosecutors had asked the court to revoke his release, saying the conditions were court orders.
Psychiatric examination ordered in separate proceeding
Markle faces one count of possessing child sexual abuse material. The Justice Department alleges that he kept such material, including sexually explicit photographs of himself with prepubescent girls, in two storage units in the Los Angeles area. The allegations have not been proven in court, and Markle has denied them.
At an earlier hearing, U.S. District Judge Lindsay Griffin ordered a psychiatric examination, citing Markle’s age, health condition and lack of recall. The judge said there was reasonable cause to believe he might be unable to understand the proceedings or assist in his defense, and directed that a report be submitted by November 20.
Meghan Markle said last month that she was “deeply distressed” by the allegations against her father. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison.
Reid Bentley