Maravida Senior Living, a care home in the city of Lakeland, Florida, has refused to take back 82-year-old Thomas Markle Sr., the father of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, after his detention by law enforcement officers, the website infohub.kz reports.
The administration of the care facility decided not to let the resident return immediately after his release on bail at a court in the city of Tampa. The reason for such strict measures by the home's management was the man's recent high-profile arrest, carried out by agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation on charges of possessing material depicting the sexual exploitation of minors.
After the care home refused to provide housing for the defendant, the elderly man was temporarily placed in the care of his elder daughter, who lives in the same city of Lakeland. Thomas Markle is currently at his relative's home under strict supervision by U.S. Marshals Service officers, who are monitoring compliance with the terms of court supervision and house arrest.
Witnesses recorded Mark Phillips, the partner of the defendant's other daughter, Samantha Markle, removing the pensioner's personal belongings from his room at the care home. Footage shows the man carrying crutches, a walker, a box containing a television and bags of belongings out to a car.
The 82-year-old pensioner himself, who uses a wheelchair after having a leg amputated, categorically denies all the charges brought against him, calling them slander by his son. If convicted in federal court, the duchess's father faces a prison term of up to 20 years.