A man is in custody after he robbed a Royal Farms early Thursday morning.

On Thursday, May 28 at 1:58 a.m., deputies assigned to the Southern Precinct of the Harford County Sheriff’s Office responded to the Royal Farms in the 600 block of Edgewood Road in Edgewood for the report of an armed robbery.

Upon arrival, deputies were informed an unknown male had entered the store to use the restroom. Upon exiting the restroom, the suspect grabbed an item from the store, put it in his pocket and approached the counter. At that time the employee stated she was unable to serve him because he was not wearing a mask. The suspect then insinuated he had a weapon, took an undisclosed amount of cash, and left the business traveling in the direction of Harr Park Court.

Deputies responded to scene and immediately began canvassing the area in an attempt to locate the suspect. Deputies located the suspect, identified as Francois Guy Paquette, 45 of Kingsville, in the 500 block of Edgewood Road. No weapon was found on his person.

The investigation was assumed by detectives with the Harford County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division. Investigators from the Forensic Services Unit responded to the scene to collect and preserve physical evidence in support of the investigation.

Paquette was transported to the Southern Precinct for questioning. He was charged accordingly and transported to the Harford County Detention Center, where he is being held after waiving his initial appearance in front of a district court commissioner.

The investigation remains active and ongoing. No further details are being released at this time. Anyone with information about this crime is asked to call Detective Pilachowski, with the Harford County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division, at 410-836-5437.