A second individual has pleaded guilty and two more have been charged in connection with the March 10, 2025, robbery of a dry cleaning business in Montgomery, Alabama. Acting United States Attorney Kevin Davidson made the announcement on September 10, 2025.
Spencer Thomas, age 67 from Prattville, Alabama, entered a guilty plea to one count of Hobbs Act robbery. This offense carries a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison. Zedekiah Sykes, age 58 from Montgomery, had previously pleaded guilty to the same charge. Sentencing dates for both men are pending.
Authorities have also charged Spirit Hooks, age 51, and Clinton Thompson, age 55—both residents of Birmingham—as additional alleged accomplices in the case. “An indictment or criminal complaint is merely a formal accusation. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Court records state that on March 10, Sykes, Thomas, Hooks, and Thompson broke into the East South Street business by smashing its front door with a rock. Once inside, they confronted the owner and forced him into an office where there was a locked safe. One intruder showed what looked like a handgun but was later identified as a BB gun and demanded access to the safe.
When the owner struggled to remember the combination for the safe, one robber struck him in his left eye causing bruising and swelling. The group then managed to open the safe and took about $8,000 in cash before zip-tying the victim’s hands and feet and stealing his cell phone and car keys. They left using his vehicle.
The investigation involved several agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Montgomery Police Department, Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA), Metro Area Crime Suppression (MACS) Task Force as well as assistance from the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Paul Markovits is prosecuting this case.
“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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).”
