Relief for Meghan Markle as her brother is cleared of attacking his girlfriend with a gun during drunken row - because she has forgiven him  

  • Thomas Markle Jr, 50, was accused of attack his girlfriend during a drunken row at their Grants Pass, Oregon, home, by pressing a gun to her head
  • Initial charges carried a possible five-year sentence if he had been convicted 
  • But the charges are all now dropped with prosecutors telling DailyMail.com it was because they could not 'locate' the victim
  • Markle Jr said his girlfriend, Darlene Blount, 36, had forgiven him  

By Ryan Parry, West Coast Correspondent For Dailymail.com and Hugo Daniel For Dailymail.com

Published: 10:37 EST, 13 February 2017 | Updated: 12:29 EST, 13 February 2017

Relief: Thomas Markle Jr has had all charges dropped against him 

Relief: Thomas Markle Jr has had all charges dropped against him 

Meghan Markle's half-brother has been cleared of charges alleging he held a gun to his girlfriend's head in a drunken rage.

Two charges against Tom Markle Jr were dismissed after authorities in Oregon were 'unable to locate' his girlfriend Darlene Blount, DailyMail.com has learned.

In court papers filed on Thursday at Josephine County Circuit Court deputy district attorney Matthew Wojcik asked a judge to dismiss the case as the state was 'unable to locate essential victim'.

The judge granted the motion and the case is now closed.

Reached on Blount's phone, Markle Jr, 50, said: 'I heard yesterday (about the dismissal)'.

Asked if Blount, 36, had forgiven him and did not want to testify against him, he said: 'Obviously', but declined to comment further.

Markle Jr - whose sister Meghan has been dating Prince Harry since last May - was arrested late in the evening on January 12 after getting into a drunken row at the home he shared with Blount in Grants Pass, Oregon.

Forgiven: Darlene Blount has 'obviously' forgiven me, Thomas Markle Jr tells DailyMail.com after his charges were dropped because the prosecutors could not locate the victim

Forgiven: Darlene Blount has 'obviously' forgiven me, Thomas Markle Jr tells DailyMail.com after his charges were dropped because the prosecutors could not locate the victim

Couple: Thomas Markle Jr's younger half-sister Meghan Markle, the star of legal drama Suits, is now the girlfriend of Prince Harry, the younger brother of Prince Williams

Couple: Thomas Markle Jr's younger half-sister Meghan Markle, the star of legal drama Suits, is now the girlfriend of Prince Harry, the younger brother of Prince Williams

Cleared: The document which makes clear Thomas Markle Jr does not face prison 

Cleared: The document which makes clear Thomas Markle Jr does not face prison 

Is this why she was happy? Meghan Markle returned to Instagram with this positive message just after her brother was told he is off the hook 

Is this why she was happy? Meghan Markle returned to Instagram with this positive message just after her brother was told he is off the hook 

Court documents containing a probable cause statement filled out by the arresting officer alleged Markle Jr had been in possession of two guns, one which was tucked into his waistband during the altercation.

The officer wrote: '[Markle Jr] got into a drunken argument with his girlfriend. During the argument [Markle Jr] pulled a gun from his closet and pressed it to his girlfriend's head telling her to leave. Girlfriend then fled into the bathroom and called police.

'[Markle Jr] was contacted and taken into custody. [Markle Jr] also had a gun in his waistband.'

The window fitter also had a blood alcohol level of 0.17 which is double the Oregon drink drive limit of 0.08.

He spent the night in jail after his arrest and posed for a mugshot before being released on bail the following day.

He had been due to appear in court on Monday charged with unlawful use of a weapon - a felony which carries a maximum sentence of five years in jail and one count of menacing domestic violence, a misdemeanor that carries a maximum of a year in jail.

In an interview with US TV show Inside Edition aired on Thursday - before he knew the case against him was dismissed - Markle Jr denied he put a gun to Blount's head but admitted there was a gun in the house.

Family bond: Thomas Markle Jr, who is 15 years older than Meghan, has told DailyMail.com he values their relationship

Family bond: Thomas Markle Jr, who is 15 years older than Meghan, has told DailyMail.com he values their relationship

Location: Thomas Markle Jr and his girlfriend Darlene Blount were involved in their drunken dispute at their home in Grants Pass, Oregon

Location: Thomas Markle Jr and his girlfriend Darlene Blount were involved in their drunken dispute at their home in Grants Pass, Oregon

He said: 'There was a gun there; there was a gun there in the house. My attorney [said] I can't really get into it.'

He also apologized to Meghan, saying: 'I am really sorry if this effected your relationship at all. I would feel horrible and that would just not be right.'

Addressing Prince Harry directly he also added: 'Prince Harry, you are a really lucky guy to have her. She is 110 percent. She is just one of a kind and you could not ask for a better woman.'

Josephine County Deputy District Attorney Matthew Wojcik has not yet responded to a request for comment on the dropped case.

Criminal records clerk Nathan Cain said: 'The case was dismissed because the state was unable to locate an essential witness. The judgment of dismissal has been signed by a judge and the case is now dismissed.'

A local police source said: 'Josephine County is a very underfunded county and the DA is not able to prosecute everything.

'My guess is they could not reach her, maybe she didn't want to come forward and testify.'   

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