A Beaufort man who threatened a Bluffton convenience store cashier and plundered the register early Monday was arrested a short distance away, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office.

Colin James Williams, 35, is accused of robbing the Parker's on Gateway Village Circle shortly after midnight. He was quickly arrested after a deputy spotted him in a car parked near the store.

A female clerk reported that she had just started her shift when a man came into the business with a white T-shirt covering his face. He forced her to the cash register, threatened to shoot her and demanded money, she reported to deputies.

After taking an undisclosed amount of cash from the register, the man ran away The cashier was not harmed during the robbery, according to the Sheriff's Office.

When deputies arrived to investigate the robbery at about 12:20 a.m., one of them spotted a vehicle parked on the side of U.S. 278 near Parker's.

As the deputy approached, a man matching the victim's description of the robber -- later identified as Williams -- tried to run away.

Williams was quickly arrested, and the stolen cash was recovered from his pockets, according to a news release.

He is being held for prosecution, according to the Beaufort County Detention Center jail log.