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Meghan's father Thomas Markle detained for allegedly cutting off ankle monitor, officials say

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In short

A federal magistrate judge in Tampa ordered the suspect held without bond after he reportedly removed his monitoring equipment early in the morning. The incident directly disrupted the home detention terms granted following his arrest the previous week. Investigators had originally apprehended him after FBI agents searched storage units registered in his name in Los Angeles and seized roughly 78 items containing alleged child sex abuse material. Although the defendant has previously denied having such images, he did not enter a plea during his prior initial court appearance.

Key points

  • The defendant remains held in federal custody without bond after allegedly tampering with…: The defendant remains held in federal custody without bond after allegedly tampering with court-mandated release equipment.
  • Federal charges stem from an ongoing investigation involving alleged child sex abuse mate…: Federal charges stem from an ongoing investigation involving alleged child sex abuse material found in California storage units.
  • The accused previously maintained his innocence regarding the possession of illicit image…: The accused previously maintained his innocence regarding the possession of illicit images and did not enter a formal plea.

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- Published

Thomas Markle, the father of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, has been detained in Florida for allegedly removing his ankle monitor, according to justice department officials in Los Angeles.

Markle appeared before a federal magistrate judge in Tampa after allegedly removing his ankle monitor at 01:45 local time (06:45 GMT), a justice department spokesperson told the BBC.

The judge ordered him jailed without bond and he is now in federal custody, the spokesperson said.

Markle, who has previously denied possessing images of child sex abuse, was arrested in Florida last week and placed under house detention. He was also ordered to wear a location monitoring device.

The BBC has contacted representatives for Markle.

He was arrested last week after the FBI, acting on warrants, searched storage units in Los Angeles registered to him which he had rented since 2008, with the last payment being made in October this year, the justice department (DoJ) said.

Inside the units the FBI says agents seized about 78 items, including film negatives, slides and books that they allege contained child sex abuse material.

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