According to The Guardian's report, which carried an Associated Press account, authorities said Tuesday that Thomas Markle, 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.
PBS NewsHour, citing Associated Press reporting, said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli stated that Markle was arrested shortly after he cut off the ankle bracelet at 1:45 a.m. The PBS headline says the monitor was cut "awaiting hearing," which indicates the timing relative to a court proceeding.
Fox News reported that prosecutors want Markle jailed pending trial. The outlet said prosecutors allege he removed his ankle monitor after his release from custody on a child sexual abuse material charge.
The accounts differ on the sequence of events. The Guardian describes the monitor being cut days after the arrest, Fox News describes it as following Markle's release from custody, and PBS NewsHour reports that the arrest came after the monitor was cut. The source summaries do not say which sequence is accurate.
The summaries also do not state where any hearing is scheduled, whether a court has ruled on the prosecutors' request for detention, how many storage units were involved, or what material was found in them. They do not include a response from Markle or his representatives.
Sources: Fox News: Thomas Markle allegedly cut off ankle monitor after child sexual abuse material arrest; The Guardian: Thomas Markle, father of Meghan, cut off his ankle monitor, DoJ says; PBS NewsHour: Thomas Markle, father of Meghan, cut off his ankle monitor while awaiting hearing, DOJ says.