MEMPHIS, Tenn. – A federal grand jury in the Western District of Tennessee has returned a two-count indictment charging Trenton Abston, 25, of Memphis, with the attempted kidnapping and stalking of Memphis Mayor Paul Young. United States Attorney D. Michael Dunavant, of the Western District of Tennessee, announced the return of the federal indictment today.
As alleged in the indictment and established in other court proceedings: On June 15, 2025, Abston drove his car and parked outside the mayor’s neighborhood. Abston then climbed an 8–10-foot privacy fence to avoid neighborhood security and used his phone to navigate on foot to the mayor’s home. Abston had rope and duct tape with him in the car and carried a taser with him in his hoodie. Abston then rang the doorbell of the mayor’s home at approximately 9:30 PM, while the mayor and his family were inside. The taser in Abston’s pocket was clearly visible on recorded doorbell camera footage. No one answered the door, and Abston left the area.
The Memphis Police Department was later able to identify Trenton Abston as the suspect and arrested him. Abston admitted to police that he went to the mayor’s home because he was angry and wanted to have a confrontation with the mayor. Police later found a storage unit belonging to Abston and found written surveillance notes where Abston noted the movements of the guards around the mayor’s neighborhood, as well as addresses, telephone numbers, and names of family members of Mayor Young and other local elected officials…