The U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee on Friday announced federal charges against Trenton Abston, the 25-year-old from Memphis who entered an Alford plea and was granted a judicial diversion by Shelby County Criminal Court Judge Taylor Bachelor earlier this month, almost one year after he was accused of stalking and attempting to kidnap Mayor Paul Young.
U.S. Attorney Michael Dunavant’s office said a federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment against Abston, charging him with one count of attempted kidnapping and one count of stalking.
Bachelor granted Abston the diversion on April 14, but the alleged would-be kidnapper was reportedly transferred to federal custody. He has been behind bars since his July 2025 arrest.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), the grand jury indictment accuses Abston of driving to the mayor’s neighborhood on June 15, 2025, scaling an eight-to-ten-foot privacy fence, and using his phone to find the mayor’s home.
Once outside the residence, the indictment alleges that Abston (pictured above) rang the doorbell while Young and his family were inside. It reveals Abston was allegedly carrying rope, duct tape, and a taser when he visited the home, and that authorities purportedly discovered a storage unit he rented that contained “written surveillance notes” about Young and his security staff.
“Targeting elected officials for political violence is dangerous and absolutely unacceptable, and this office has zero tolerance for such threatening conduct,” said Dunavant in a statement. “Because the state court disposition is manifestly inadequate to vindicate the substantial federal interests of the United States to prioritize and protect the safety of public officials, the defendant must be charged and held accountable under federal law.”
Federal Grand Jury Indicts Man for Attempted Kidnapping and Stalking of Memphis Mayor
Read more: https://t.co/1fMjZeY8Wy pic.twitter.com/p77A6Sy1nO
— Mike Dunavant (@MikeDunavant1) May 1, 2026
While Dunavant’s office noted that Abston received the diversion from Bachelor despite the objection of the local prosecutor’s office, the Shelby County GOP and State Senator Brent Taylor (R-Memphis) both faulted District Attorney Steve Mulroy for his handling of the case.
“This is an example of why I worked so hard to pass the Memphis Safe Task Force DA Accountability Act which will require the DA to notify the US Attorney, DAs’ Conference, TN Attorney General’s office, and both Speakers of the General Assembly any time a charge from the task force is downgraded or dismissed,” wrote Taylor, referencing the Memphis Safe Task Force Accountability Act, passed by the Tennessee General Assembly last month.
Taylor wrote, “In essence, US Attorney Mike Dunavant picks up the slack for our pathetic DA.”
Dunavant recently confirmed his office reviews Memphis Safe Task Force cases prosecuted by Mulroy. The task force has tracked more than 8,500 arrests since it deployed last year.
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Tom Pappert is a 2025 recipient of the Dao Prize and the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star. He also reports for the Star News Network. Follow Tom on X. Email tips to [email protected].
