Charges against two young men accused in a Dec. 18 attempted hold-up of a Gaffney Pet Store will move forward, Cherokee County Chief Magistrate Bart Howell ruled following a preliminary hearing Tuesday.

Eighteen-year-old Ryan Daniel Townson and 18-yearold Lagarrick Jamar Wilkie are charged along with a 15- year-old juvenile. Authorities said they believe Townson and Wilkie are the two people who went into the A-Pet-UBet pet store on West Floyd Baker Boulevard wearing ski masks and with a loaded gun that was pointed at the store's 72-year-old owner, Barbara Golden. The robbers left empty-handed when the pet store owner's son-in-law sprayed the robbers with a water hose and Golden made a grab for the robber's gun.

After responding to the scene, Gaffney Police Department K-9 handler Officer Ronnie Anderson testified during the preliminary hearing on Tuesday he saw Townson running with a firearm in his hand toward Sarratt Street. The officer said the gun was pointed at him during the chase and that he ended the chase by sending his dog after Townson.

Det. Sgt. Ron Ramsey testified the juvenile who was arrested along with Townson and Wilkie told police the three of them, along with two others, had discussed committing a robbery at one of two locations that afternoon but decided on the pet store. The other location considered for robbery was a nearby title loan company, according to testimony.

The juvenile told the detective that he went into the pet store to look around first, and that he subsequently told Wilkie and Townson he did not want to go through with it.

At the agreement of defense and prosecuting attorneys, the charges against Townson and Wilkie were changed to attempted robbery while armed with a deadly weapon, as opposed to robbery, since nothing was taken.