Latest news with #stalking
CBS News
13 hours ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Memphis mayor targeted in stalking and attempted kidnapping incident, police say
A man has been charged with stalking, attempted kidnapping and aggravated criminal trespass after allegedly scaling a wall and knocking on the door of Memphis Mayor Paul Young's residence in Tennessee, police say. The Memphis Police Department said Wednesday that it recovered "a taser, gloves, rope and duct tape" from the vehicle of 25-year-old Trenton Abston as he was arrested. The suspect allegedly approached the home on Sunday "with gloves on, a full pocket, and a nervous demeanor," Young wrote Wednesday on Facebook. Abston was listed as an inmate in the Shelby County Sheriff's Office database, which showed a hearing for him scheduled for Friday. It was not immediately clear if he has an attorney who could speak on his behalf. CBS News has reached out to the Shelby County Sheriff's Office. The incident comes on the heels of what officials called politically motivated shootings last week in which Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband were killed in their home and state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife were wounded. The suspect, who has been taken into custody, impersonated police officers as he approached their homes and shot his victims, according to investigators. Young wrote on Facebook that political violence "simply cannot become our norm." "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 said. "The link between angry online rhetoric and real-life violence is becoming undeniable." "What starts as reckless words online can all too quickly become something much more dangerous," the mayor continued. "The angry rhetoric, the hateful speech, and the heated threats create a culture where violence feels like a next step instead of a red line." Young was elected mayor in 2023 and was sworn in on Jan. 1, 2024. He was previously the director of Memphis' Division of Housing and Community Development. State and local officeholders reported increasing levels of threats in recent years, according to a January 2024 report from the Brennan Center, a nonpartisan law and policy institute. The threats range from insults to physical attacks, according to the report, with 18% of local officeholders experiencing threats. The same day of the Minnesota shootings, June 14, the Texas Department of Public Safety Capitol Region said it was notified of a threat made against Texas lawmakers. A suspect was taken into custody for further questioning and the investigation is ongoing, the agency wrote on X.
News.com.au
15 hours ago
- Sport
- News.com.au
Emma Raducanu stalker's scary Wimbledon act before security stepped in
British tennis star Emma Raducanu's stalker horror has continued after the same man was caught trying to apply for Wimbledon tickets. The All England Lawn Tennis Club's security system had red flagged the man's name after the tennis star reported him to her team. It comes after the horror incident that saw Raducanu, who 'couldn't see the ball through tears', hide in fear from her stalker at the Dubai Tennis Championship in February. An All England Club source told The Sun that the man who followed Raducanu to four countries had applied for the ballot last year before the Dubai stalking incident. Watch footage of the Dubai incident below After the incident the club removed his name from the ballot for the tournament starting June 30. He reportedly didn't try to apply for a ticket once he was given a restraining order. Raducanu suffered an apparent panic attack in Dubai earlier in the year after spotting a man in the crowd during her second-round match with Karolina Muchova. The same man had previously followed her to separate tournaments across the globe in Singapore, Abu Dhabi and Doha. British star Raducanu hid herself behind the umpire's chair after spotting the individual in the crowd displaying 'fixated behaviour'. Raducanu's reaction sparked concern among spectators, before the man was removed from the crowd and taken from the stands to be detained by local police. It was revealed he had also given Raducanu a letter and asked for a photo in a coffee shop at the player hotel the day before, which reportedly left her unnerved. The US Open champion reported the man to her team but the information was not passed on to the Women's Tennis Association until the following day. The Dubai Tournament was also not notified of the individual's presence or Raducanu's concerns until the following day. He was handed a restraining order from the Dubai police and his name was circulated among tennis authorities. 'I saw him in the first game of the match and I was like, 'I don't know how I'm going to finish',' Raducanu told reporters at the time. 'I literally couldn't see the ball through tears. I could barely breathe. 'I was like, 'I need to just take a breather'.' Wimbledon security is routinely reviewed with roughly 1,000 people working in security at the Championships. As well as the screening around the ballot, which caught Raducanu's stalker out, there are checks and balances employed to screen those in the queue. Anyone who gains entry to the championship has to be registered with Wimbledon and hand over personal information. Raducanu's stalker was never named publicly by the authorities following the incident in Dubai. The tennis star's horror experience has shone a spotlight on the issues faced by female tennis players. The grand slam winner has had a hellish stalking experience before, revealing in 2022 that she was 'constantly looking over her shoulder' after stalker Amrit Magar, 35, walked 37 kilometres to her home in South East London. Magar had a five-year restraining order put in place after stealing her dad's shoe and leaving gifts and notes for the young tennis star.
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Alleged trespasser at Memphis mayor's home charged with attempted kidnapping
A man accused of trespassing at the home of the Memphis, Tennessee, mayor has been charged with attempted kidnapping and stalking, according to police, who said the suspect had a Taser, gloves, rope and duct tape in his vehicle at the time of his arrest. The suspect was apprehended and charged after police investigated "suspicious activity" in Mayor Paul Young's neighborhood, the Memphis Police Department said Wednesday. "On Sunday night, around 9:30 pm, a man jumped a wall leading into our subdivision," Young said in a statement. "We now know that he walked straight to our home, knocking on the door with gloves on, a full pocket, and a nervous demeanor." MORE: Georgia man charged with making threats against Senators Ted Cruz and Deb Fischer: DOJ Surveillance footage showed that the individual went directly to the mayor's residence upon scaling the wall and did not approach any other home in the neighborhood, according to the Memphis Police Department. The suspect -- 25-year-old Trenton Abston -- has been charged with attempted kidnapping, stalking and aggravated criminal trespass, police said. He is detained at the Shelby County Sheriff's Office jail and is scheduled to appear in court on Friday, online jail records show. It is unclear if he has an attorney at this time. The Memphis Police Department credited the "rapid response" of its officers and the surveillance footage throughout the neighborhood with quickly identifying, locating and arresting the suspect. "We understand the concerns raised by this incident and want to reassure the public that the Memphis Police Department remains fully committed to the safety of all residents, including our city's elected officials," the department said in a press release. "We take any potential threat seriously and will continue to act swiftly and thoroughly." MORE: Break-in reported at home of slain Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman: Police The incident comes amid heightened concerns over violence against elected officials, after two Minnesota lawmakers and their spouses were shot on Saturday in what prosecutors called "political assassinations." Democratic Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were killed, and Democratic state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were wounded in the attacks. Young, who has served as Memphis' mayor since January 2024, cited the Minnesota shootings while making a plea that political violence "cannot become our norm." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Mayor Paul A. Young (@mayorpaulyoung) "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 said in a statement on Instagram while sharing a photo of him and his family. "The link between angry online rhetoric and real-life violence is becoming undeniable." "Let's do better," he added. "Let's raise our discourse, reduce the hate, and protect one another -- no matter our beliefs. Let's reclaim our strength as one community. Let's choose love."
CBS News
17 hours ago
- CBS News
Eminem stalker sentenced to prison for breaking into rapper's home
A Michigan man accused of stalking rapper Eminem and breaking into his Clinton Township home will spend at least 18 years in prison. Matthew David Hughes, 32, of Clinton Township, was sentenced Tuesday to 15 to 30 years in prison for first-degree home invasion and 3 to 7 1/2 years for aggravated stalking. Macomb County prosecutors say the two sentences will run consecutively to each other, and Hughes will serve at least 18 years. Hughes was also ordered to have no contact with Eminem, whose real name is Marshall Mathers. Hughes first broke into the rapper's home in April 2020 and told Eminem that he was going to kill him, according to previous testimony by law enforcement. Hughes was arrested again for being on the rapper's property on Aug. 8, 2024. "No one, celebrity or not, should ever feel unsafe in their own home," said Macomb County Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido in a statement. "This sentence sends a clear message that stalking and home invasion will be taken seriously in Macomb County and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Everyone has the right to privacy, safety, and peace of mind." A jury convicted Hughes on May 7 of first-degree home invasion, aggravated stalking and second-offense habitual offender.
New York Times
a day ago
- Politics
- New York Times
The Problem of the Christian Assassin
On Saturday morning, Americans woke up to horrifying news. According to a federal criminal complaint, a man named Vance Boelter had stalked four Minnesota lawmakers and then attacked two of them — State Senator John Hoffman and State Representative Melissa Hortman — killing Hortman and her husband and wounding Hoffman and his wife. Boelter made lists of Democratic Party officials and abortion rights activists and purchased a high-quality silicone mask to shield his identity. He also disguised himself as a police officer to gain access to his targets. When Boelter's identity was first made public, right-wing figures online tried to identify him as a Democrat, or even a radical leftist. Why? Because he'd been appointed to a nonpartisan board by Mark Dayton, a previous Democratic governor, and then reappointed by Gov. Tim Walz. But a moment's additional research dispelled that notion. Boelter's roommate identified him as a Trump-supporting Republican, and Boelter voted in the 2024 Republican primary. And he wasn't just a Republican. He was also a 1990 graduate of the Dallas-based Christ for the Nations Institute and engaged in missionary activities in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where he delivered exuberant sermons that soon appeared online. In other words, Boelter wasn't just a political assassin; he was a Christian assassin — and a person deeply connected to one of America's most radical religious movements. Christ for the Nations isn't a staid, traditional seminary. It opened its doors in 1970. One of its founders was an extremist Pentecostal pastor named James Gordon Lindsay, who was part of a spiritual movement called the New Order of the Latter Rain. (Christ for the Nations has put out a strong statement condemning the attack). Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
