Man arrested, charged with stalking Memphis Mayor Paul Young

Memphis police arrested a man Wednesday and charged him with stalking, aggravated criminal trespass and attempted kidnapping after he went to Mayor Paul Young’s house Sunday night. 

Trenton Abston, 25, jumped a wall leading into the subdivision in which Young and his family live, according to a Facebook post by Young. 

Memphis police said in a statement on Facebook that Abston walked directly to Young’s home after accessing the subdivision. He had a taser, gloves, rope and duct tape in his vehicle when arrested, according to police. 

Police viewed public and private security camera footage after residents reported earlier this week they saw a man behaving suspiciously in the neighborhood. 

The incident came less than two days after Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband were shot and killed and a Minnesota state senator and his wife were shot multiple times by Vance Boelter, who was arrested after a two-day manhunt. 

“In today’s climate, especially after the tragic events in Minnesota and the threats my wife and I often receive online, none of us can be too careful,” Young wrote on Facebook. “The link between angry online rhetoric and real-life violence is becoming undeniable.”

A state representative from Memphis raised concerns about the potential for political violence in the aftermath.

“No resident — no public servant, no child, no spouse — should ever have to fear for their safety because of their service,” said Democratic Rep. Torrey Harris in a social media statement. “Trespassing at (Young’s) home and threatening his family crosses every line of human decency. This is not disagreement — this is dangerous and reckless.”