Thomas Markle, Meghan’s father, cut off his ankle monitor, DOJ says

Thomas Markle, the estranged father of Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, had his pretrial release revoked after cutting off an ankle monitor while he was awaiting trial on charges of possession of child sexual abuse materials, according to court documents.

Markle was arrested Friday after officials found child sexual abuse images in storage units belonging to him in California, including sexually explicit photographs of himself with minors, the Justice Department said. He was taken into custody in Tampa, Florida, where he was released under house arrest.

He cut off his ankle monitor at 1:45 a.m. Tuesday, U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli alleged.

“We are asking the court to revoke his release and detain him pending trial, and we will continue to prosecute this case to the fullest extent of the law,” Essayli said.

A federal judge ordered Tuesday afternoon that Markle remain in custody after violating the conditions of his release. An attorney for Markle in court records did not immediately reply to a request for comment Tuesday.

FBI investigators found slides, film negatives and books that included “suspected child pornography” in two storage units Markle rented in Los Angeles, according to court documents. The film negatives included images of naked…

Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/health