Inmate smuggled knife into jail, stabbed deputy

A man named Jeffrey Tillman was able to smuggle a knife into a jail by hiding it inside his body cavity. This was revealed by the Onondaga County Sheriff, Toby Shelley, during a news conference on March 20, 2025. Tillman is accused of stabbing a deputy, Erik Francis, multiple times with the knife on January 10. The investigation showed that despite being scanned and strip-searched when he entered the jail, Tillman managed to conceal the knife. Sheriff Shelley explained that the body scan missed the weapon because the knife's blade lined up with the zipper of Tillman's pants. This led to a failure to detect it during both the scan and the strip search. To improve safety, Sheriff Shelley announced new search procedures. From now on, inmates will go through body scans from two angles instead of one. Additionally, two deputies will review these scans instead of just one, to prevent similar incidents. After the stabbing incident, Tillman was moved to a different jail for safety reasons. A judge has ordered him to be held without bail while the investigation continues. Sheriff Shelley noted that many law enforcement officials were surprised by how Tillman managed to bring the knife into jail.