Police arrest man accused of sneaking into Memphis mayor's neighborhood, find rope, stun gun
Editor's note: This story has been updated with an additional charge for Trenton Abston and to include publicly available information about his background.
Memphis police have arrested the man believed to have trespassed into Memphis Mayor Paul Young's gated neighborhood late on June 15, finding a stun gun, gloves, rope and duct tape in the man's car.
25-year-old Trenton Abston was arrested June 18. He is being charged with aggravated criminal trespassing and stalking, two misdemeanors. Shortly after first appearing in the criminal court system, Abston had felony attempted kidnapping added to his list of charges.
"At the time of his arrest, officers recovered a Taser, gloves, rope, and duct tape from his vehicle. The investigation is ongoing, and additional charges may be forthcoming," the Memphis Police Department said in a statement posted to Facebook. "Upon further review of both public and private security camera footage, we have determined that the suspect did not approach multiple homes, as initially reported. Instead, after scaling a wall, the individual went directly to the Mayor's residence."
According to a police email obtained by The Commercial Appeal, a man jumped over a fence to Young's East Memphis neighborhood — a gated community — and knocked on his door around 9:30 p.m. on June 15. The man left the house before police could speak with him, but his face was recorded on a doorbell camera.
Police credited "the rapid response of our officers and the use of camera technology throughout the neighborhood" with how they were able to identify the man.
According to the criminal court system, this was the first time Abston had appeared in court aside from two traffic tickets.
The alleged trespassing came amid heightened tensions for politicians after a Minnesota man allegedly broke into multiple homes and shot two Minnesota state lawmakers and their spouses in the early hours of June 14.
Two people, Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark Hortman, were killed. Two more people, Sen. John Hoffman and his wife Yvette Hoffman, were injured in a separate incident.
It was also the second run-in with potential danger Young has faced since being sworn in as mayor. In March 2024, Young was grabbed by a man attempting to get into his vehicle at Folk's Folly. Young was uninjured in that incident, and his security detail was able to prevent the man from entering the car.
A 'small amount of pepper spray' was sprayed at the man in that instance, City Communications Director Penelope Huston said at the time.
Lucas Finton covers crime, policing, jails, the courts and criminal justice policy for The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached by phone or email: (901)208-3922 and Lucas.Finton@commercialappeal.com, and followed on X @LucasFinton.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Police arrest man accused of trespassing at Memphis mayor's property
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