Man charged in jogger abduction kidnapped attorney in 2000

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — The man charged with kidnapping a Tennessee woman jogging near the University of Memphis last week spent 20 years behind bars for a previous kidnapping. According to an arrest affidavit, U.S. Marshals arrested 38-year-old Cleotha Abston on Saturday after police detected his DNA on a pair of sandals found near where Eliza Fletcher was last seen. While the 34-year-old woman has not been found, Memphis police say they believe she was seriously injured in the abduction, which was caught on surveillance video. The Commercial Appeal reports Abston previously kidnapped a prominent Memphis attorney in 2000, when Abston was 16 years old. He was convicted of kidnapping and robbery. Abston was released from prison in 2020.