Thomas Markle, the father of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, is back in federal custody in Florida after allegedly removing his ankle monitor, according to court documents.
Markle appeared before a federal magistrate judge in Tampa on Tuesday and was denied bond. Prosecutors say he removed the monitor early that morning. Judge Lindsay S. Griffin found that he had violated the conditions of his pretrial release.
Markle was arrested in Florida last week and placed under house detention. He was also ordered to wear a location monitoring device. He has denied possessing images of child sexual abuse.
In her order revoking pretrial release, the judge described Markle's housing situation as "untenable." She wrote that, given the lack of suitable housing, no condition or combination of conditions would reasonably assure the safety of any other person or the community, or his appearance in court. She also ordered a medical evaluation and said he must receive all necessary and prescribed medication unless a physician discontinues it.
Bill Essayli, the US attorney for Central California, wrote on Tuesday that release conditions are court orders, not suggestions. "We will continue to prosecute this case to the fullest extent of the law," he said.
Markle, 82, was first arrested last week after the FBI, acting on warrants, searched storage units in Los Angeles that were registered to him and rented since 2008, with the last payment made in October this year, the Justice Department said. The FBI says agents seized about 78 items from the units, including film negatives, slides and books that they allege contained child sexual abuse material. Witnesses "positively identified" Markle in two of the images, it said. The man pictured appears to be in his 30s or 40s, which suggests the alleged abuse dates back decades.
Markle appeared in court last week, and no plea was taken. He is charged with one count of possessing indecent images of children, according to the Justice Department. FBI Director Kash Patel said last week that Markle "allegedly targeted innocent children." Markle has called the allegations "sick lies."
Markle moved to the Philippines last year after a series of strokes and lived in the city of Cebu until May. He was reportedly learning to walk again in Florida after having a leg amputated. The duchess has been estranged from her father since 2018.
