Thomas Markle detained after alleged ankle monitor removal

Thomas Markle was detained in Florida on November 10 after prosecutors said he had allegedly removed a court-ordered ankle monitor while on pretrial release in a federal child pornography case. A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office said his release had been revoked. Reports on the court hearing said a judge ordered him jailed without bond.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said Markle allegedly removed the tracking device at about 1:45 a.m. Tuesday, four days after a federal judge allowed him to remain out of custody pending trial. The release conditions included electronic monitoring. Prosecutors asked the court to detain him while the case proceeds. The allegation that Markle removed the device has not been established at trial.

Markle, 82, had been arrested in Florida on November 6 on a federal charge of possession of child pornography. The charge followed searches of two storage units in the Los Angeles area that court documents say were linked to him. Investigators seized approximately 78 items, including slides, film negatives and books suspected of containing child sexual abuse images, according to descriptions of the federal complaint and affidavit....