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Suspects in the robbery and assault at Jim Massey’s Cleaners./Source: Montgomery Police Department
A Montgomery man arrested for Armed robbery of a well-known dry cleaning business has pleaded guilty.
Acting U.S. Attorney Kevin Davidson says 58-year-old Zedekiah Sykes entered his plea in federal court on Thursday.
At around 6 p.m. on March 10, owner Jim Massey was alone in his office on South Street downtown when he told Action 8 News in a very detailed interview that four masked men tied him up and assaulted him before robbing him at gunpoint.
The suspects were wearing hard hats and reflective construction vests, Massey said. The men forced him to unlock the safe. They emptied it, zip-tied his feet in addition to his already zip-tied hands, and took his car keys before fleeing the scene.
Massey’s car was found abandoned three blocks from his office several hours after the robbery.
Court records say Sykes was the leader and the robbery had been planned for months. Records say the suspects wore clothing to make it appear they worked for Alabama Power.
A total of between $6,000 to $8,000 was stolen during the robbery.
Sykes pleaded guilty to one count of Hobbs Act Robbery, a federal offense that carries a statutory maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled in the coming months.
Police arrested a second person in the case in May. 57-year-old Spencer Thomas, of Prattville, was arrested and subsequently indicted for his involvement in the same robbery.
The arrests follow a joint investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Montgomery Police Department, Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA), and the Metro Area crime Suppression (MACS) Unit, with assistance from the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office.
