Thomas Markle, the 82-year-old father of Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, cut off his electronic ankle monitor at 1:45 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 10, federal prosecutors in Los Angeles say. Bill Essayli, the first assistant U.S. attorney there, said his office is asking the court to revoke Markle's release and keep him locked up until trial.

Markle was charged last week with one count of possessing child pornography, and he was allowed to stay out of custody on the condition that he wear an electronic monitor. Edit USA reported on Nov. 6 on the complaint, which says investigators found suspected child sexual abuse material in two storage units he had rented in the Los Angeles area. The charge carries up to 20 years in federal prison. Markle is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

What the court record shows

Empty courthouse hallway with stone floors, wooden benches and tall wooden doors
Image: Edit USA

For now, the case sits in federal court in Tampa, Florida. Its number there is 8:26-mj-03344. The court's public docket feed shows a notice of hearing filed Tuesday, then a second notice that changed only the hearing time. Two receipts for passports were also logged that day.

The feed lists those entries but not their contents, so it does not show the hearing date, what the hearing is for, or whose passports were turned in.

Mental competency exam

Empty evaluation office with a desk, two padded chairs and a box of tissues
Image: Edit USA

A federal judge in Tampa has also ordered a mental competency examination, with a report due by Nov. 20. Under federal law, the court then decides whether a defendant has a mental condition that leaves him unable to understand the nature and consequences of the case or to assist properly in his defense.

The charge itself stays with the federal court in Los Angeles, where the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California filed the complaint.