Content warning: this article contains allegations of child pornography that some may find distressing.
A mugshot showing Meghan Markle’s father, Thomas Markle Sr., in police custody has been publicly released.
The booking photo of Thomas, 82, was released by Florida’s Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday, November 10, following his second arrest after he cut off his ankle monitor amid his child pornography case.
The photo showed Thomas, who is awaiting a hearing in federal court after being charged on Friday, November 6, with one count of possession of child pornography, wearing an orange uniform as he stared up at the camera. His brow was furrowed in the photo and his head appeared to be bowed down.
Fox News journalist Heather Lacy shared Thomas’ booking details via X on Tuesday night, which stated that he had officially been booked at 6:11 PM EST that day.
The new image of Thomas comes after a spokesperson for the Department of Justice confirmed to Us on Tuesday that he had been detained. “At a hearing today in Tampa, U.S. Magistrate Judge Lindsay Saxe Griffin of the Middle District of Florida ordered Thomas Wayne Markle detained (jailed without bond),” a statement read. “Markle cut off his ankle bracelet at 1:45 a.m. EST today. Federal law enforcement arrested him later today. Markle is in federal custody.”
Filings viewed by Us that day also revealed that the prosecution and defense discussed Thomas’ violation after he severed his ankle monitor. After the judge determined that Thomas was a flight risk, it was declared that his pretrial release was revoked and he will remain detained pending the resolution of his case.
Thomas was first arrested on Friday and charged with one count of possession of child pornography. He was released on bail later that day.
Prosecutors alleged at the time that Thomas kept child sexual abuse material (CSAM) in storage containers that he had been renting in the Los Angeles area for the past two decades. Authorities claimed to have seized approximately 78 items including slides, film negatives and books that contained suspected CSAM.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California claimed that investigators found two images of a man with a nude prepubescent girl. Meanwhile, other photos “appear to show Markle with children in various stages of undress.”
Meghan, 45, appeared in public for the first time earlier on Tuesday, stepping out hand-in-hand with husband Prince Harry to attend the opening of the Lost Screen Memorial at the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium.
The royals appeared to avoid questions about Thomas’ arrest during their outing, per video footage shared on social media by BBC News at the time.
If you or someone you know is experiencing child abuse, call or text Child Help Hotline at 1-800-422-4453.
