Man Pleads Guilty To Holdups In Birmingham And Center Point

BIRMINGHAM, AL — A Birmingham man has pleaded guilty to two holdups - one at a Birmingham bank and another at a Center Point store. Monterius King, 31, entered his guilty plea on Aug. 5.

A report by Alabama Media Group said King pleaded guilty to robbing the ServisFirst Bank on Richard Arrington Boulevard on Jan. 3, 2017 and the Jet Pep on Center Point Parkway on April 24, 2017. During the Jet Pep holdup, King shot a clerk in the stomach.

King was found driving along I-22 in western Jefferson County and taken into custody. King also pleaded guilty to discharging a firearm during the Jet Pep robbery. He has pending charges remaining in state court for attempted murder and robbery in connection with that case, and for robbery in the ServisFirst holdup.

"Those who threaten the lives of innocent employees and customers are exactly the violent criminals we will remove from our communities and relocate to a bed in federal prison, said Northern District of Alabama U.S. Attorney Jay Town in a statement Friday. "The government was fully prepared to present evidence at trial that would prove the guilt of this defendant. He now faces federal time in a federal prison."

King's sentencing on the federal charges has been set for Dec. 16th, and he faces up to 20 years in prison for each of the robberies, plus a consecutive term of at least 10 years for discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.