Thomas Markle cut off his location monitoring device at 1:45 a.m. on Tuesday in Florida while on house arrest after federal agents arrested him for alleged possession of child sexual abuse material, federal authorities said.
Judge Orders Detention in Tampa
A federal judge ordered him jailed without bond. Thomas Markle, 82, appeared in court in Tampa on Tuesday. He arrived in a wheelchair and did not enter a plea. A judge had previously released him to home detention and barred him from traveling outside Florida’s Middle District and California’s Central District.
Agents Arrest Markle at Florida Care Home
Federal agents arrested Markle at his care home in Florida last Friday, charging him with one count of possession of child pornography. In October, The Sun reported that Markle moved into Maravida Senior Living care home, a facility specializing in memory care.
Both units had been rented by Markle since 2008. The allegations include photographs depicting Markle himself with minor girls.
Meghan Discusses Family Distance
Meghan told her father the letter would be the last time he heard from her. Addressing her choice to keep her children away from their grandfather, she stated:
Thomas Wayne Markle, 82, of Lakeland, Florida, was arrested today on a federal criminal complaint filed in our district that charges him with possession of child pornography, a felony that carries a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison. An affidavit filed… pic.twitter.com/j9tIgsw2u1
“I hope that it is now clear – despite the distortions in certain media over the years – that any distance from my father, and my choice to not allow him to have contact with our children, was for one reason: to protect them.”
Meghan Markle