Selma police arrested a man who robbed Sonic restaurant shortly before it opened on Thursday.

Police placed Xavier Deon Rhodes, 18, in the Dallas County Jail under a $40,000 bond and charged him with robbery first degree.

According to Det. Tory Neely, Rhodes robbed Sonic at gunpoint between 5:40 and 5:55 a.m., took an undisclosed amount of money and fled the area.

Rhodes lives at 12 Edgewood Dr., a few blocks away from Sonic, and someone working at the restaurant recognized Rhodes as a former employee.

“The clerk recognized his voice and body posture as someone who had worked at the business before and called him by name,” Neely said. “He lives about five blocks away from the business.”

Detectives Frederick Walker and Jeffrey Hardy arrested Rhodes and later conducted an interview with him at police headquarters. Rhodes admitted to the robbery in a statement. He also retrieved the weapon and money taken from the robbery and turned them over to police.

The Code of Alabama defines robbery in the first degree is a Class A felony, which could warrant a sentence of life imprisonment or imprisonment not more than 99 years or less than 10 years.