Thomas Markle returned to federal custody after violating home confinement
An 82-year-old man accused of possessing child sexual abuse material was ordered back to jail after removing his ankle monitor, a judge said his housing situation had become untenable.
Thomas Markle, 82, was ordered back to federal custody on Nov 10 after a U.S. magistrate judge found he had cut off the electronic monitoring device required for his home confinement. The judge, Lindsay Saxe Griffin, said his housing situation had become "untenable" and directed that he be placed in a detention facility separate, where practicable, from the general jail population, and receive a prompt medical evaluation.
Markle was originally arrested on Nov 6 on a single federal charge of possessing child sexual abuse material, including photographs of himself with a naked underage girl. An FBI affidavit indicated the material was seized from two Los Angeles storage units he had rented since 2008, and one image appeared to have been taken in a motel in the Philippines, where investigators had begun looking into him in October.
"Markle targeted innocent children and sought to steal their innocence through his criminal actions," said FBI Director Kash Patel.
The judge had previously ordered a psychiatric examination to assess Markle's mental competence, citing concerns about his advanced age and lack of recall during the hearing. Federal prosecutors asked that his home release be revoked after he removed the ankle bracelet on the morning of Nov 9, and the request was granted.
Meghan Markle, who has been estranged from her father since 2018, said she was "deeply distressed" by the allegations and has cut off contact with him and her children. On Nov 10 she appeared with Prince Harry at the European Parliament in Brussels for the opening of the Lost Screen Memorial, an art installation honoring children who died after suffering harm on social media. Harry delivered a speech, while Meghan cancelled a planned address, according to a spokesperson.