Meghan Markle’s Half Brother Thomas Markle Jr. Arrested for DUI

The Duchess of Sussex’s estranged half-brother Thomas Markle Jr. has been arrested for drunk driving.

Markle was reportedly stopped by the Oregon State Police at 1:33 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 11, after he was caught speeding, TMZ reports. A field sobriety test was performed after officers noted that Markle was visibly impaired. A breathalyzer test showed that he had a blood alcohol concentration of .11 percent, three points over the legal limit of .08 percent.

The 52-year-old was arrested and taken to the Grants Pass Sobering Center and his Chevy Silverado was impounded.

This is not Markle’s first run-in with the law. In January of 2017, he was arrested after he pulled a gun on his fiancée, Darlene Blount, during a drunken fight. At the time, Blount told authorities that she feared for her life, though she dropped the case the following month.

Just a year later, in July of 2018, the couple once again got into a heated argument while under the influence, during which Blount hit Markle, giving him a black eye. Blount was arrested and charged with two counts of fourth degree assault, though Markle expressed his desire to have the charges dropped.

“My son has a serious problem and he needs help, and I hope he gets it,” Markle’s father, Thomas Markle Sr., told TMZfollowing his son’s most recent arrest.

“His drinking is not related to Meghan. He always drank,” his sister, Samantha Markle, added.

Markle’s arrest came just days after he announced his engagement to Blount, who he met after being introduced by a mutual friend in November of 2016, the same month that his estranged sister Meghan Markle and Prince Harry confirmed they were dating.

Markle dropped to one knee at a park near their home in Grants Pass, Oregon, in early 2018. They are set to tie the knot in March, and Markle is ready to set aside his differences with his sister in order to bring the family closer together, announcing that he has invited the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to his wedding.

“It’s hopeful that if Meghan and Harry came and my father [Thomas Markle Sr.], Meghan and Harry could spend some time with him and that would be good,” he said. “Starting out the new year by bringing our family closer together is definitely on the to-do list. It’s very important. [The wedding] would be a perfect time for Meg to get together with my dad — who is her father as well — and just put all the past behind everybody and move on and be a closer family again.”