Meghan Markle’s father ordered to jail after he cut off his ankle monitor

Detailed summary

Authorities have not said where Thomas Markle Sr. will be held while his case remains in court ahead of a likely transfer to California.

Meghan Markle’s father was ordered to jail Tuesday because he removed an electronic monitoring device from his ankle, days after he was arrested by federal agents in Florida on charges related to child sexual abuse material.

Thomas Markle Sr. was arrested and appeared in federal court in Tampa, Florida, after authorities learned he had cut off the device at 1:45 a.m. on Tuesday, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli told The Associated Press.

“Release conditions are court orders, not suggestions,” Essayli added.

Markle Sr. was living in a senior care centre at the time. But U.S. Magistrate Judge Lindsay Griffin agreed Tuesday that Markle now must be kept in custody.

Authorities have not said where he will be held while his case remains in court ahead of a likely transfer to California.

In her written order, Griffin noted Markle Sr.’s “housing situation” had become “untenable,” but did not elaborate, according to The Associated Press.

Defence attorney Mary Claire Wolf wanted to keep him out of custody but has not found a suitable place for Markle to stay, according to a hearing summary.

Markle Sr. was arrested on a federal criminal complaint alleging he kept child sexual abuse material, including sexually explicit photographs of himself with prepubescent girls, in two Los Angeles-area storage units he rented for nearly two decades, according to the FBI.

Markle Sr. is charged with one count of possession of child pornography and made his initial appearance last week in United States District Court in the Middle District of Florida in Tampa.

Opening of the article, excerpted from Global News. To read the rest, open the article on the publisher's site.