The Beaufort County Sheriff's Office is investigating an armed robbery that took place at the Howard Johnson's motel in Burton on Friday night.

At approximately 10:00 pm December 28th, two masked black male suspects entered the lobby of the Howard Johnson's, located at 3651 Trask Parkway. Both suspects were dressed all in black, and one was armed with what appeared to be a sawed-off shotgun.

The armed suspect pointed the weapon at the 18-year-old night clerk, demanding money. The clerk complied, handing over an undisclosed amount of cash from the register. The suspects then forced the clerk into a back office, where they went through the clerk's pockets. After removing the clerk's wallet, both suspects fled the lobby in an unknown direction of travel.

The clerk sustained no injuries and no guests were in the lobby at the time of the robbery. The Sheriff's Office K-9 Tracking Team responded to assist in the search for the possible suspects, however neither suspect was located.