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 stun gun, 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. Vance Boelter was arrested and charged in connection to the shootings 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,” Democratic Rep. Torrey Harris said on social media. “Trespassing at (Young’s) home and threatening his family crosses every line of human decency. This is not disagreement — this is dangerous and reckless.”
Read more at TennesseeLookout.com.