1 of 4 arrested in armed robbery, assault of Montgomery dry-cleaning businessman
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - The first of four suspects being sought for the assault and armed robbery of Montgomery businessman Jim Massey III is under arrest and facing federal charges in connection to the March 10 incident.
Zedekiah Sykes, 58, was arrested by U.S. Marshals on Wednesday. The United States District Court in Montgomery unsealed Sykes’ criminal complaint Friday, Acting US Attorney Kevin Davidson confirmed.
Sykes is now charged with armed robbery, carjacking, and brandishing a firearm during a violent crime that targeted Massey at his Jim Massey’s Cleaners business, located on South Street in Montgomery. A mug shot was not available, as the federal government does not typically release them.
Massey said four men forcibly entered his business around 6:20 p.m. that Monday, tied him up, beat him, held a gun to his head, and demanded the code to the business’s safe. At one point, one of the suspects punched Massey in the face, leaving one of his eyes bloodied and bruised.
The suspects took the money from the safe, estimated in court filings to be around $6,000 to $8,000, and fled in a vehicle stolen from the cleaners. Massey was ultimately able to untie himself and contact police.
Each of the suspects was captured on camera wearing clothing that appeared to make them resemble a construction crew. Each was wearing white hardhats and safety vests. One was seen holding a large rock.
No other information was immediately available on the other suspects, though a reward of up to $10,000 is being offered in this case.
TIPSTERS VISIT MASSEY’S BUSINESS
Sykes’ arrest, according to court documents, happened after two unidentified people came into Massey’s business on March 19 to report that they knew what had happened, but that they were requesting money so that they could leave town after sharing the information. Massey called investigators, who responded to the business and interviewed the tipsters.
The tipsters identified Sykes as the “person who orchestrated the robbery,” the filings note, and that the crime had been in the planning stage for months. They claimed Sykes had originally asked them to take part in the robbery, though they said they ultimately backed out.
The tipsters said they were given directions to arrive at a pre-determined location without their phones, after which they learned that the dry-cleaner business was the target. They also revealed that they were driven to where the victim lived and told that if the robbery couldn’t happen at the business, they would target him at his home.
Investigators were also told that the original plan called for each suspect to be dressed in all black but that Sykes later changed that because he “wanted them to all wear construction clothing to appear as if they worked with Alabama Power Company since it would be daylight outside during the offense,” and he “wanted them to blend in with the area.”
The tipsters said they backed out but later came forward after seeing details about the robbery on local news.
The Montgomery Police Department was later able to corroborate some of the details through a different, confidential source, the court affidavit revealed.
SURVEILLANCE ON THE SUSPECT
Armed with the tipsters’ information, law enforcement quickly put Sykes under surveillance, following him to multiple locations across the River Region. During that time, law enforcement was able to connect him to a credit card used at an area Walmart after serving the business with a subpoena.
Investigators found that the card was used multiple times between late December and mid-February to buy hard hats and safety vests similar to the ones seen on the four suspects in the security video evidence of the robbery.
ALEA agents were also able to get a look inside the opened trunk of Sykes’ vehicle, noting a large duffel bag similar to the one carried by one of the robbery suspects. Additionally, they noticed through the window of his vehicle evidence that led them to believe he was living in the vehicle.
SYKES’ ARREST
Sykes’ arrest comes after an investigation by the FBI, Montgomery Police Department, Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, and the Metro Area Crime Suppression (MACS) Task Force, with help from the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office.
Asked for additional information, the Montgomery Police Department said it was unable to share any other details since the case is still under investigation.
The DOJ said this case is part of “Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.”
The operation “streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN),” the DOJ added.
Sykes made his appearance in federal court Friday afternoon. If convicted, he could face between seven years to life in federal prison, where there is no parole.
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