MEMPHIS, Tenn. A man was arrested and charged with attempted kidnapping after he allegedly approached a Tennessee mayor’s home with a Taser, rope and duct tape earlier this week.
Trenton Abston, 25, was arrested in Memphis on Wednesday and charged with attempted kidnapping, stalking and aggravated criminal trespass, after a suspicious person was reported at Mayor Paul Young’s East Memphis home.
Police say surveillance video showed Abston had driven by Young’s home several times before he scaled an 8-to-10-foot wall and rang the doorbell at Young’s house around 9:30 Sunday night.
Young said he saw the man on his Ring doorbell camera and did not answer the door.
Abston, who was arrested after police tracked down his employer, allegedly admitted to police that he was angry at Young and was confronting the mayor about “crime in the city,” according to police.
At the time of his arrest, officers say they recovered a Taser, gloves, rope and duct tape from his vehicle.
It was initially reported that Abston was seen knocking on the front doors of multiple residents in the neighborhood, but police are now saying that was not the case.
Abston allegedly scaled a wall and went directly to the mayor’s house, as seen in security footage. Police were able to identify him through camera technology and arrest him shortly after the incident at his job.
The incident came just one day after Minnesota lawmaker Melissa Hortman was gunned down at her home on Saturday, leaving local lawmakers concerned for their safety.
Young released the following statement:
“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. The link between angry online rhetoric and real-life violence is becoming undeniable.
What starts as reckless words online can all too quickly become something much more dangerous. The angry rhetoric, the hateful speech, and the heated threats create a culture where violence feels like a next step instead of a red line. We cannot allow that line to be crossed. Political violence and intimidation – whether threatened or enacted – simply cannot become our norm.
Memphis, we have to change how we talk to and about each other. Disagreement must never lead to violence. That cannot be our norm. Let’s do better.”
“We understand the concerns raised by this incident and want to reassure the public that the Memphis Police Department remains fully committed to the safety of all residents, including our city’s elected officials. We take any potential threat seriously and will continue to act swiftly and thoroughly,” the police department said in a statement.
“When we came on the detail, it was some volatile times then, we had racial tension and it was a lot of other things, and it’s so much of whether the mayor is liked or disliked that depends on what is actually going on at the time,” said Michael Gray, former security detail for former Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton.
“They’ll be looking at the infrastructure, they’ll be looking at the areas around to see if it’s any breaches,” said Gray.
“I think it’s horrible. I think that anytime you offer to serve the people and you’re elected, it shouldn’t cost you your life,” said state Rep. Antonio Parkinson, D-Memphis.
