ACTION 8 UPDATE: Second man pleads guilty, two others charged in robbery that left Montgomery businessman Jim Massey injured

Jim Massey, owner of Jim Massey Cleaners, spoke to Action 8 News earlier this year about the robbery that left him injured – Photo from WAKA Action 8 News

ACTION 8 UPDATE: A second man has pleaded guilty, while two others have been charged in the robbery of well-known Montgomery businessman Jim Massey, owner of Jim Massey Cleaners, which has nine locations throughout the area.

Acting U.S. Attorney Kevin Davidson says 67-year-old Spencer Thomas of Prattville has pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of Hobbs Act robbery, a crime that carries a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

Previously, 58-year-old Zedekiah Sykes of Montgomery entered a guilty plea to the same charge.

Sentencing hearings for both men will be scheduled in the coming months.

In addition, Davidson says 51-year-old Spirit Hooks and 55-year-old Clinton Thompson, both of Birmingham, have been charged as the third and fourth suspects in the robbery.

Two of the suspects in the robbery and assault at Jim Massey’s Cleaners./Source: Montgomery Police Department

According to court records, at around 6PM on March 10, the four men forced their way into the Jim Massey’s location on East South Street in Montgomery by shattering the front door with a rock. Once inside, the men confronted the owner Jim Massey and forced him into an office where a locked safe was located. One of the intruders displayed what appeared to be a handgun, later determined to be a BB gun, and demanded that Massey open the safe.

When Massey struggled to recall the combination, one of the men is accused of hitting him in the left eye, causing visible bruising and swelling. The men are charged with stealing approximately $8,000 in cash from the safe. Before fleeing, they zip-tied Massey’s hands and feet and took his cell phone and car keys, court records state. The men used the stolen keys to drive away in Massey’s vehicle, according to the records. The car was later recovered a few blocks away.

Jim Massey’s Cleaners location on South Street in Montgomery, where the March 10 robbery and assault of owner Jim Massey took place. The photo shows the front door boarded up after it had been shattered. – Photo from WAKA Action 8 News

Jim Massey talked about surviving this robbery and attack in an interview with Action 8 News earlier this year. Massey told us the robbers were wearing hard hats and reflective construction vests.

Days after the robbery, CrimeStoppers and Massey each offered a $5,000 reward, totaling $10,000 in all, for information to solve the case.