Authorities in Memphis have accused a man with attempting to kidnap the mayor. The guy was apprehended after visiting the mayor’s home in a gated neighborhood; they found duct tape, gloves, a Taser, and rope in his vehicle.
Trenton Abston, 25, of Memphis, is facing charges of aggravated criminal trespass, stalking, and attempted kidnapping, according to police. The announcement was made on Wednesday. According to the arrest affidavit, Black Democrat Mayor Paul Young was at home with his family on Sunday night when Abston came knocking. From his doorbell video, Young could observe that the man was donning gloves and sporting a lumpy bulge in his hoodie pocket.
In response to the silence, the individual ran away, but his likeness was caught on video, according to the affidavit.
An attempt on the life of a senior Democratic politician from Minnesota occurred the very next day. The accused allegedly shot and killed Melissa Hortman, a former House Speaker, and her husband Mark in their home outside of Minneapolis while posing as a police officer.
The attorney he has retained is not indicated in the online court records that were checked on Friday. Black defendant Abston is expected to inform a judge on Monday if he has been able to secure legal representation.
According to the affidavit, Abston said police detectives that he didn’t confront Young about municipal crime until Sunday night, and that he was furious with the mayor and had a Taser with him when he arrived at Young’s residence.
The affidavit states that over the months of May and June, the police discovered that camera footage in the vicinity of Young’s home showed Abston’s car on many occasions. According to the affidavit, the neighborhood is equipped with a substantial outer wall, a gate, a guard house, security measures, and video surveillance.
According to the investigators, surveillance footage reveals that Abston climbed a wall and proceeded straight to Young’s house. On Tuesday, authorities determined that Abston was a potential suspect after searching relevant databases. According to the affidavit, they showed his boss a photo from the night of the incident to authenticate his identification, and then they arrested Abston at his office on Wednesday.
Substantial measures toward the conduct of an abduction were taken by Abston, according to the affidavit.
According to Young, the man made a daring jump over a wall into the area where his family resides. He described the man as having “a nervous demeanor, a full pocket, gloves on, and walked straight to our home, knocking on the door.”
With the words “disagreement must never lead to violence,” Young urged his city’s residents to “change how we talk to and about each other.”
“No one can be too careful in this climate, particularly in light of the terrible events in Minnesota and the online threats that my wife and I frequently face,” Young tweeted on Wednesday across several social media platforms. “The connection between violent acts in real life and angry rhetoric on the internet is becoming more and more apparent.”
