SLIPPERY ROCK — A district judge held all charges Wednesday against two Michigan men facing charges that they stole catalytic converters.

Kelvin D. Williams, 25, of Detroit, and Jordan R. Klinefelter, 22, of Roseville, appeared by video before District Judge William S. O'Donnell for two cases that include allegations they cut out catalytic converters from cars in Slippery Rock Borough and on Slippery Rock University's campus. Williams' lawyer, Ryan Helsel, argued that authorities had not provided enough evidence to support the charges. Klinefelter's lawyer, Renee Colbert, made a similar argument.

But O'Donnell found there was enough evidence to hold all charges over to the county court.

In the SRU case, Klinefelter is charged with three felony counts of theft and three felony counts of receiving stolen property. In the borough case, he's charged with two misdemeanor thefts, a misdemeanor receiving stolen property charge and two misdemeanor criminal mischief charges. Williams faces identical charges in both cases.

Also charged in the case are Demetrius K. Williams, 21, of Detroit and Myracle D. Hall, 20, of Roseville. Police obtained much of their evidence from Hall, who allegedly told police that she was involved with the group in the theft scheme.

Slippery Rock Borough police allege the four defendants on Nov. 21 stole catalytic converters from two sport utility vehicles parked in a parking lot in the borough. Total damage was estimated at nearly $1,720.

Kelvin Williams and Klinefelter are being held in the Butler County Prison in lieu of $175,000 bond and $85,000 bond, respectively.

Slippery Rock University police accuse all four defendants of stealing catalytic converters from three vehicles Nov. 21 parked at SRU's East Lake parking lot. In this case, they estimated damages amounted to $2,700.

Additionally, Cranberry Township police previously charged the four defendants in connection with the Nov. 21 theft of four catalytic converters from vehicles parked at stores on Route 19. Cranberry Township police estimated the total loss of those thefts at $5,000. Klinefelter and Hall also are charged with stealing four catalytic converters in November in Grove City, Mercer County.

On Wednesday, police from the borough and the university testified about their investigations, which began Nov. 21.

A catalytic converter is a part of the exhaust system that is found in front of a vehicle's muffler. It reduces the amount of toxic chemicals released from the engine.

Converters often are stolen and sold for scrap, authorities said, because the platinum and other rare metals used in the pollution control devices are valuable.

All of the vehicles appeared to have a “yellow residue,” according to police testimony Wednesday, that was eventually matched to saws found in one of the vehicles used by the defendants.

While reviewing surveillance video from the campus, SRU Officer Jason Squatrito said Wednesday, investigators identified two suspicious vehicles — a Chevrolet Equinox and a Hyundai Tucson — seen at the lot at the time of the thefts. But Squatrito said they were unable to see the license plate numbers. He also noted they couldn't identify the occupants of the vehicles.

It wasn't until traffic cameras in Cranberry Township captured images of an Equinox and Tucson that matched the descriptions of the vehicles in the SRU police case that police were able to get the license plate numbers.

Cranberry police said they subsequently determined both vehicles were “involved with the catalytic converter thefts” in their township. They also learned that both vehicles were rentals.

But it wasn't until a car chase in Conway, a Beaver County borough, that the defendants were arrested.

Conway police later in the afternoon of Nov. 21 tried to stop the Equinox, investigators said. The attempted traffic stop led to a police pursuit and ended with the Equinox crashing.

Hall, the driver, immediately was arrested. Her passenger, Klinefelter, allegedly fled on foot, but quickly was caught.

Later recovered from the Equinox, documents stated, were 24 catalytic converters.

Later, on Nov. 23, Moon Township police in Allegheny County located and stopped the Tuscon. Hall, Kelvin and Demetrius Williams were in the vehicle.

Moon Township police also allegedly found a backpack in the vehicle that contained a reciprocating saw and several reciprocating blades.

Squatrito testified Wednesday that they were able to use the location on Hall's cellphone to tie her to Slippery Rock on Nov. 21.

Because of the circumstances of their arrest, Helsel argued Wednesday that his client, Kelvin Williams, never was tied to the Slippery Rock thefts.

“We can't even be sure who was driving or in the cars,” Helsel said, asking O'Donnell to drop the case. He made the same request for both the borough and university cases. But O'Donnell held all charges in both cases.

Klinefelter's lawyer, Colbert, made similar requests for both of his cases. But O'Donnell also held all charges in both of those cases.

Colbert also asked for Klinefelter's bonds to be reduced “to something that isn't a form of punishment.”

She said Klinefelter “is a young man who has a baby that he needs to provide for.”

In Klinefelter's cases, he is being held on $10,000 bond for the Cranberry case, $25,000 for the Slippery Rock Borough case and another $50,000 for the university case. O'Donnell reduced the bond in the last case to $25,000, but did not reduce the bond in the borough case.