Meghan Markle's estranged father is back in federal custody after authorities on Tuesday said he cut off his ankle monitor just days after his arrest on a child pornography charge.
Thomas Wayne Markle, 82, is accused of removing the electronic monitoring device at about 1:45 a.m. Tuesday morning and was arrested shortly afterward, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said.
Markle was being held pending a hearing in federal court in Tampa, Florida.
The arrest came four days after a federal judge allowed Markle to remain out of custody on the condition that he wear the ankle monitor while awaiting trial.
"Release conditions are court orders, not suggestions," Essayli wrote Tuesday on X. "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 was initially arrested Friday at a senior care facility in Lakeland, Florida, before appearing in federal court in Tampa. He was released on bond and ordered to return to the facility under electronic monitoring, People reported.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Lindsay Griffin also ordered an examination to determine whether Markle could understand the proceedings and assist in his defense.
Markle faces one federal count of possession of child pornography after FBI agents seized approximately 78 items containing suspected child sexual abuse material from two Los Angeles-area storage units he had rented since 2008, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The seized materials included photographic slides, film negatives and books, according to prosecutors.
The investigation began in October after authorities learned that suspected child sexual abuse material had been discovered among Markle's belongings in the Philippines.
According to prosecutors, some of the photographs appeared to show Markle with underage girls in various stages of undress.
Markle has denied wrongdoing, previously describing the allegations as "sick lies," according to CBS News.
His daughter, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, previously said she was "deeply distressed" by the allegations and had kept her father from having contact with her children to protect them, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The federal case is expected to move to California. If convicted, Markle faces up to 20 years in federal prison.
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