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Thomas Markle was taken back into custody after cutting an electronic monitoring device off his ankle, the US Department of Justice said on Tuesday.
The 82-year-old estranged father of Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, was being held ahead of a hearing in federal court in Tampa, Florida, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said.
The arrest came shortly after he removed the ankle bracelet at 1:45 a.m., Essayli said.
“Four days ago, a federal judge allowed Mr. Markle to remain out of custody pending trial,” Essayli said. “He was ordered to wear a location monitoring device. He allegedly cut the bracelet off at 1:45 a.m. last night. Release conditions are court orders, not suggestions. 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.”
Markle had first been arrested on Friday, on allegations of keeping child sexual abuse material in storage units in California.
That arrest followed the seizure of approximately 78 items, among them slides, film negatives and books that contained suspected child sexual abuse images, held in storage in the Los Angeles area, Essayli said.
