Duo sentenced after pleading guilty to Elk Grove in-home armed robbery

Two defendants who pleaded guilty to robbery and firearm possession stemming from an incident in Elk Grove were sentenced at Sacramento Superior Court on Friday, November 15.


Judge Steve White sentenced Dominik Lacey to 13 years and Hayden Thornton to 10 years in prison. On October 7, 2024, Lacey pled to robbery and admitted to a personal use of a firearm allegation and Thornton pled to assault with a firearm and admitted to the allegation of a principle possessing a firearm during the commission of the crime.

On March 31, 2023, the victim met with the defendants at an Elk Grove house to discuss renting a room. Inside the home, Lacey pinned the victim to the ground and stole money he had on him. Lacey then retrieved a gun, put it to the back of the victim’s head and told the victim he would kill him if he called the police or told anyone what happened. 

The defendants went through the victim’s phone and told him they knew where he and his family lived and the victim he owed them money and threatened to kill him if he did not pay them. Lacey and Thornton then forced him to get a family member to send him money and used the victim’s phone to steal the money. 

The robbers eventually let the victim go, and the victim went to the police station and the defendants called the victim when he was at the station and confirmed details of the kidnapping and extortion plan while the police were listening. After the defendants were arrested, the firearm used in the crime was found in Lacey’s room.

Photo by Donald Tong