Greenville, MS—Zenas Tillis, 37, of Greenville, MS, pled guilty to Possession of a Weapon by Felon on last Monday, District Attorney Dewayne Richardson announced today.
Around 03:50 a.m. on September 18, 2022, the Greenville Police Department and Greenville Fire Department were dispatched to the local hospital. Upon arrival, they found a black male later identified as Zenas Tillis standing in a tree refusing to come down. More than an hour later, Tillis complied and with help from the firemen, was safely escorted down from the tree.
As Tillis began walking away from the tree, officers noticed Tillis walking suspiciously. During a pat-down search of Tillis’s person for officer safety, they discovered a machete and a pair of brass knuckles in Tillis’s pants. They also found an ankle monitor on Tillis’s leg and contacted the Mississippi Department of Corrections.
Tillis proved to be a convicted felon unlawfully in possession of these weapons and was subsequently indicted for it. Having been previously convicted of multiple violent felonies and having served more than one year of incarceration on each offense, Tillis faced life imprisonment as a violent habitual offender. After facing a pool of Washington County jurors, Tillis pled guilty and received a ten (10) year sentence in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Laura K. Cooper and Austin Frye.
The Office of the District Attorney appreciates the assistance from forthcoming witnesses, the Greenville Police Department, the Greenville Fire Department, and the Mississippi Department of Corrections.