Well-known Montgomery businessman bound, beaten, robbed in holdup at dry cleaning business

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — A violent commercial armed robbery has sent shockwaves through the local business community after Jim Massey III, the 74-year-old owner of the prominent regional chain Jim Massey's Cleaners, was assaulted, bound, and robbed inside his own establishment on East South Street.

The incident occurred when four suspects forcibly gained entry to the business by smashing the front glass door with a large rock. According to police reports, the assailants immediately confronted Massey, brandished what appeared to be a handgun, and forced him into a back office where the store safe was located. Under threat of violence, Massey was ordered to open the safe. When he struggled to remember the combination due to the duress of the situation, one of the suspects struck him in the face, causing a visible injury to his eye.

After securing approximately $6,000 to $8,000 in cash from the safe, the perpetrators bound Massey's hands and feet with zip ties, leaving him helpless on the floor. The suspects then took his car keys and fled the scene in Massey's personal vehicle. The vehicle was later discovered abandoned by investigators just a few blocks away from the business.

A swift joint investigation by the Montgomery Police Department, the FBI, and the Metro Area Crime Suppression (MACS) Unit led to the identification and arrest of several individuals. In federal court, three of the co-conspirators received lengthy prison sentences without the possibility of parole. Zedekiah Sykes, 58, identified as the ringleader who organized the heist, pleaded guilty to Hobbs Act Robbery and was sentenced to 195 months in federal prison. Spirit Hooks, 51, and Spencer Thomas, 68, were sentenced to 175 months and 144 months, respectively, while charges against a fourth suspect, Clinton Thompson, 55, remain pending.