Thomas Markle, father of Meghan, cut off his ankle monitor, DOJ says

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The 82-year-old estranged father of Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, cut an electronic monitoring device off his ankle, just days after his arrest for keeping child sexual abuse material in storage units in California, authorities said Tuesday.

Thomas Markle was in custody awaiting a hearing in federal court in Tampa, Florida, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said.

He was arrested shortly after he cut off the ankle bracelet at 1:45 a.m., Essayli said.

Markle’s arrest on Friday followed the seizure of approximately 78 items, including slides, film negatives, and books that contained suspected child sexual abuse images in storage in the Los Angeles area, Essayli said.

During his arrest last week, he was taken from a senior care center in Lakeland by ambulance. Hours later, a judge allowed Markle to be released on the condition that he be electronically monitored, which typically means wearing an ankle tether.

The judge also ordered a mental competency exam and a report by Nov. 20.

His daughter, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex married Prince Harry at Windsor Castle in 2018. They have two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. She is an American citizen and actor who starred in the U.S. television drama “Suits.”

Meghan recently said she was “deeply distressed” by allegations that a collection of child sexual abuse images had been found at her father’s former home. She also revealed that a letter containing “troubling allegations” about him had been sent to police in London in 2019.

“It made troubling and disturbing allegations against my father and I was given assurances that these were being investigated,” Meghan said of the letter. “I hope it can now be understood that, despite certain media publications’ distortion over the years, any distance from my father and my choice to not allow him to have contact with our children was for one reason: to protect them.”

Thomas Markle was living in the Philippines this year when he suffered a stroke and had his left leg amputated. That forced him to return to the U.S.

His arrest followed reports by The Sun, a British tabloid newspaper, that Meghan’s half brother found a collection of child sexual abuse images while clearing out their father’s home in the Philippines. That discovery led to information about two U.S. storage units in California, which Markle had rented since 2008.

FILE - Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, takes part in the Scar Tree Walk in Melbourne, Australia on April 16, 2026. (Jonathan Brady/Pool Photo via AP, File)

Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan, Duke and Duchess of Sussex, arrive to attend the opening of the Lost Screen Memorial at the European Parliament in Brussels, Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026.(AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

Meghan, center, Duchess of Sussex, attends the opening of "Lost Screen Memorial" at the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium, Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026. (Nicolas Tucat/Pool Photo via AP)

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Connor Hellebuyck said Tuesday incidents that were “more than online death threats” cemented his decision to ask for a trade from the Winnipeg Jets.

Speaking to reporters there for the first time since being dealt to New Jersey on Oct. 23, the goaltender said his family experienced “a few moments that I don’t want to see happen again.” He added he wanted to keep the details of the incidents private.

“There was some moments and some things that happened to my family that, for me, crossed the line and as a husband and a father, I felt made that decision very certain," Hellebuyck said. "I needed to be a good husband and a good father and do what’s best for my family and my career.”

Hellebuyck backstopped the U.S. to men’s hockey gold at the Milan Cortina Olympics in February. In the aftermath, he attended a White House reception honoring the team, drawing criticism in Canada.

Asked if the fallout played a role in the backlash, Hellebuyck said: I’m sure it did a little bit. I don’t think it matters if it’s fair or not."

“Those are accomplishments that I will never apologize for, and I will never speak negatively about,” the 33-year-old from Michigan said of his Olympic success. “I know the sensitivity about what’s going on between the U.S. and Canada, and I’ve never gotten into politics deep with anyone because I’m a hockey player.”

Hellebuyck said he still has a “strong emotional connection” to Winnipeg, and he doesn’t want what happened to reflect on the city as a whole.

“I grew up here," he said. “I made a lot of connections here. I don’t want anyone to think I don’t love it here.”

Hellebuyck said he was being honest about wanting to play for the Jets for his entire career when he signed a seven-year, $59.5 million contract extension in October 2023. But he said a lot has changed since then, from his family’s comfort in Winnipeg to the team’s competitiveness.

“To the people who feel that I’ve been disloyal, well, there’s also a lot that I was not expecting to happen go on throughout this contract,” he said.

The Devils said Sunday night that Hellebuyck would not play against his former team on Tuesday night, citing a decline in their expected win probability. Hellebuyck has won all five starts he has made since the trade and said he spoke with coach Sheldon Keefe and general manager Sunny Mehta about the situation.

“I’m 14 days into a new team, and they handle their business differently than I’m used to,” Hellebuyck said. “When I went in there and said my piece and said I felt it was my duty to play this game and said ‘I want to play,’ I had a good conversation with (Keefe and Mehta), and I left that conversation understanding where they’re at.”

See AP’s full NHL coverage here

New Jersey Devils goaltender Connor Hellebuyck makes a save during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Vegas Golden Knights, Friday, Oct. 30, 2026, in Las Vegas. (Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP)