Two men suspected of robbing a McMinn County market this afternoon were caught a short time later by McMinn and Meigs county deputies, authorities said.

In a news release, McMinn Sheriff Joe Guy said two men entered the Clearwater Market on County Road 172 about 12:30 p.m. The men wore cloths over their faces and were armed with a knife and a baseball bat. They robbed the register and left in a white Ford Mustang, Guy said.

A deputy and his K-9 partner were on patrol nearby and saw the Mustang in the parking lot. The incident also was caught on the store's video system, he said.

Officers drove after the robbers on Highway 305 and were joined by two Meigs County deputies, who intercepted the Mustang on state Highway 68 and caught the suspects after a brief pursuit, Guy said.

The weapons and more than $900 in cash were recovered. Charles Hedden, of Athens, and John Lemons, of Englewood, were both jailed on charges of aggravated robbery.

Guy lauded the "great work by our officers and our fellow deputies in Meigs County."