Thomas Markle Sr. is in custody again. The Justice Department says the father of Meghan Markle removed his ankle monitor in the middle of the night on Tuesday.

Federal officials told the Associated Press the device came off shortly before 2 AM. Agents took him into custody soon afterward. No reason has been given for why he did it.

Judge orders a mental exam

Markle appeared in court later Tuesday. The judge ordered him held in custody. The court also directed that he undergo a mental evaluation.

Prosecutors want him transferred from Florida to California. The judge has not ruled on that request yet.

The case so far

Federal agents first took Markle into custody last week. He is charged with possessing child pornography. Investigators had searched a storage unit he kept in Los Angeles. Prosecutors allege they found photos that appear to show him with underage girls who were nude.

FBI Director Kash Patel publicly blasted Markle at a news conference after that arrest.

The investigation reportedly began after his son alerted authorities in the Philippines. Markle has strongly denied such allegations in the past.

Out of the senior home

Following the arrest he was kicked out of the assisted living facility for seniors where he had been staying. His daughter then took him in. He was staying with her ahead of a scheduled court date in Tampa.

Markle has been estranged for years from Meghan and her children.