An argument Tuesday night over what to do with a stolen gun ended with two men jailed on several felony charges, Butler police said.

Brandon Michael Spare, 19, of Butler Township and James Denzell Snyder, 25, of Pittsburgh are being held in the Butler County Prison on $25,000 bail each.

Police began investigating the case after Spare went into a West Cunningham Street pizza shop about 8:45 p.m. and told an employee he had been beaten up and robbed of $120 and a cell phone.

Spare, however, didn't appear to be injured, a police report said. He said the purported robber ran into a Second Avenue apartment.

Officers went to the apartment, where a 28-year-old woman lives. They found Snyder, the woman's boyfriend, there; however, he gave them a false name, court documents said.

When told of Spare's allegation, Snyder denied there was any robbery or assault; he said the two had a "disagreement," the police report said.

Snyder admitted the dispute was over a gun — a .22-caliber Smith & Wesson revolver — that officers found hidden in a ceiling tile in the apartment.

At least some of the gun's serial numbers had been filed off or otherwise obliterated, police said.

A neighbor told police that Snyder had previously showed him a .22-caliber revolver and offered to sell it for $100, the report said.

Police at the station interviewed Snyder, who claimed Spare had come to the apartment with the revolver, asking for help "to trade (the gun) for heroin," the report said.

Spare allegedly admitted the gun was stolen in a burglary in New Castle.

Snyder's girlfriend also told investigators that she had heard Spare asking Snyder if he could sell the gun for drugs.

The defendants started to argue about what to do with the gun, Snyder said, and later fought.

Police, while at the station, confirmed Snyder's identity and found an apparently empty stamp bag of suspected heroin in his pocket.

Spare later was interviewed at the station. But he told investigators that he no longer wanted police involved, despite his earlier claim of being robbed.

He denied knowing anything about the gun, police said.

Police later were able to trace the revolver to its former registered owner, who turned out to have been dead for 12 years.

The man's wife, police said, told investigators that following his death she had sold the gun to an auctioneer.

Police arrested the defendants, who were arraigned early Wednesday morning on two felony weapons charges, including illegally possessing firearms due to their criminal records, and altering the gun's identification numbers.

They also are charged with felony counts of receiving stolen property and conspiracy, as well as false identification to law enforcement authorities and disorderly conduct.

Snyder also is charged with possession of drug paraphernalia.