Thomas Markle is arrested and charged in a child sexual abuse material case
Thomas Markle Sr., 82, the estranged father of Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, was arrested Friday morning in Florida and charged with possessing child sexual abuse material, authorities said. AP sources said he was arrested outside Tampa. Authorities said the material was in California storage units Markle has rented since 2008.
More context
Authorities said Thomas Markle Sr., 82, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex’s estranged father, was taken into custody in Florida Friday morning on a charge of possessing child sexual abuse material. People who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the investigation said he was arrested outside Tampa. The charge concerns images in storage units in California, which Markle has rented since 2008, authorities said. The arrest followed reports by The Sun that Thomas Markle Jr., Meghan’s half brother, found “hundreds, if not thousands” of such images in boxes at their father’s former home in Cebu City, Philippines. Markle Jr. told the newspaper he reported the images to police in the Philippines and contacted the FBI. An FBI affidavit filed in court says some images appear to depict Markle with children.
Was this story useful?
What was the main problem? (optional)
Reporting
- WSLS 10 News — Meghan Markle's estranged father arrested and charged with possessing child sexual abuse materials
- gazettextra.com (with Associated Press) — Thomas Markle, father of Meghan, arrested on charges related to child sexual abuse material, AP sources say | Nation/World | gazettextra.com
- wvnstv.com — Meghan Markle's estranged father arrested in child sexual abuse ...
Verifier’s note
WSLS.com, GazetteXtra.com, and WVNSTV.com each report that Thomas Markle was arrested in Florida and faces a charge related to possessing child sexual abuse material. Their stories are AP coverage, rather than separate independent reporting.