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

Key Points:

• Thomas Markle, 82, the estranged father of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, cut off his electronic ankle monitor days after his arrest for possessing child sexual abuse material stored in California units.
• Markle was arrested following the seizure of approximately 78 items, including slides and film negatives with suspected child sexual abuse images, and was initially taken from a senior care center in Lakeland, Florida.
• After his arrest, Markle was released under electronic monitoring, ordered to undergo a mental competency exam, with a report due by November 20, but he removed the monitoring device early Tuesday morning.
• Meghan expressed deep distress over the allegations against her father, revealing a 2019 letter with troubling allegations had been sent to London police, and emphasized her decision to distance herself and her children from him was to protect them.
• Markle had been living in the Philippines earlier this year but returned to the US after suffering a stroke and having his left leg amputated.