Chris Hennis, District Attorney

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Mendenhall, MS
Chris Hennis, District Attorney

Chris Hennis serves as the District Attorney for Covington, Jasper, Simpson and Smith counties.

Hennis previously served as an Assistant District Attorney, where he handled violent crimes, crimes against children, property crimes and drug offenses.

05/25/2026

On this Memorial Day, I pray that we as a nation never forget the sacrifices that the men and women of our military make every day to provide the blanket of freedom that we sleep under!

05/21/2026

At the recent spring prosecutor’s conference hosted by the Mississippi Prosecutor’s Association and the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office, my office was honored to be selected for the 2025 Trial of the Year Award. The trial for which we were recognized was the successful prosecution of a human trafficking case in Jasper County. My office was the first district attorneys office in the state to take a person to trial under the recently enacted Mississippi Human Trafficking law and secure a conviction.
Although the case was tried to the jury by Assistant District Attorney Stephanie Breland Wood and myself, this honor reflects a group effort by my entire staff and the Jasper County Sheriff’s Department.

05/15/2026

Former Reservoir Police Officer Rodney Jernigan entered a plea of guilty to two counts of enticement of a child.
When law enforcement first learned of potential criminal conduct, Jernigan, a resident of Smith County, was employed as an officer with the Reservoir Police Department. After formal charges were filed Jernigan was arrested and bonded out of the Smith County jail. While out on bond, it was discovered that Jernigan had made contact with a minor child in another state through social media which resulted in a new charge of enticement of a child.
The cases were investigated by the Smith County Sheriff’s Department and the Attorney General’s Office and prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Office and the 13th Circuit Court District Attorney’s Office. Jernigan was sentenced to 40 years in prison and must serve 20 years day for day before he is eligible for parole. Jernigan will be required to register as a s*x offender for the rest of his life.
I want to thank our law enforcement agencies for their excellent investigative work in this case. This case is a great example of agencies working together to keep our children safe from predators.

04/25/2026

I want to congratulate Assistant District Attorney Stephanie Breland Wood as she assumes her role as President of the Mississippi Prosecutor’s Association. ADA Wood has previously served as Secretary/Treasurer and Vice President of the MPA before being elected President. ADA Wood has also served on various committees including legislative, curriculum and awards. My office is thankful to have such a dedicated professional in its ranks.

04/20/2026

I have had several people contact me after receiving this notice via text message. This is a scam. Courts do not do business by text message and Hinds County does not have toll roads. Please report it as spam and delete.

01/30/2026

Today I had the privilege of presenting Jasper County Sheriff’s Department Investigator Jody White with two framed Judgements of Conviction for his outstanding investigations on a s*xual assault case and a human trafficking case.
Because of his professionalism, dedication and attention to detail, my office was able to prosecute both cases successfully and obtain guilty verdicts. Investigator White’s compassion and empathy for the child victims in these cases and others is evident from the relationship and trust he fosters with the victims.

01/13/2026

My office would like to welcome aboard Natalie Craft of Raleigh. Natalie, a junior at the University of Southern Mississippi majoring in forensic science, will be interning with us for the spring semester. SMTTT!

11/10/2025

Happy Birthday Marines!

09/22/2025

This past Friday I had the opportunity to teach search and seizure law at the Boot Camp for New Prosecutors hosted by the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office. This is a great program that I wish had existed 20 years ago when I first became a prosecutor.

09/19/2025

This past Monday, I had the privilege to speak to the Magee Lions Club. I appreciated the questions that were asked about crime in our district and the opportunity to explain what your District Attorneys Office has been doing this past year to work with our law enforcement agencies to make our district a safer place to live, work and raise our families. As always, I enjoyed the fellowship and the great food at Berry’s Seafood!

Address

100 Court Avenue, Suite 4
Mendenhall, MS
39114

Telephone

+16018471342

Website

http://chrishennisda13.com/

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