Two girls, ages 13 and 16, used a piece of brick and rocks Wednesday afternoon to assault another young girl selling candy bars in Butler for a cheerleading fundraiser, authorities said.

The motive for the attack was the victim's candy, city police said.

The suspects were arrested soon after the crime that left the victim injured, according to a Butler County juvenile court services official.

The young defendants are charged in juvenile complaints with robbery, conspiracy and simple assault. Authorities did not identify the 16-year-old Butler girl or the 13-year-old Slippery Rock girl.

Both offenders, who were taken to the Krause Youth Shelter in New Castle following their arrests, appeared for detention hearings Thursday.

Butler County Juvenile Court Master Joe Brydon ordered the older girl to remain at the facility until her next hearing, despite a plea from her attorney and mother that she be allowed to return home.

The custody status of the younger defendant was not immediately known, since her hearing was closed to the public because of her age.

Police said the 13-year-old victim was selling candy in the area of Center and Brown avenues shortly after 5 p.m. when the suspects approached her and asked for some "free candy,"a police news release said.

When the victim denied their request, the defendants grabbed some of the candy bars and attacked her.

"They physically assaulted (the victim) with a brick and rocks," said juvenile court services probation officer Tracy Veri at the 16-year-old's detention hearing.

Police also noted that one of the suspects grabbed the victim "around the throat"before they ran toward the area of Zeigler Avenue and Hickory Street.

Veri testified that the victim suffered injuries in the attack.Authorities did not know the girl's condition Thursday.

Officers were called and ran after the suspects. After "quite a lengthy chase,"Veri said, the defendants were caught. Both girls were later turned over to juvenile court authorities and taken to the Krause Youth Shelter.

Veri at Thursday's hearing recommended that the 16-year-old remain at the juvenile detention facility, pending the defendant's pre-adjudication conference Thursday.

The conference will decide whether the girl will enter a guilty plea or fight the charges.

Public defender Ryan Helsel, who is representing the 16-year-old, called his client's mother to testify at Thursday's hearing.

The girl's mother said her daughter, who attends the Clarence Brown School in Butler, is "very wellbehaved" and attends summer camp.

"She knows what she's done is wrong and unforgivable," the mother said. "She is not violent. This is the first time."

The parent told Helsel that her daughter was welcome to return home, even if it meant her being placed on house arrest.

It was disclosed at the hearing that the girl was in juvenile court June 16 for an unrelated case. She is charged in that case with theft from a vehicle.

Following her arrest for the theft, she was released to the custody of her mother.

"Apparently,"Butler County Assistant District Attorney Russ Karl told Brydon, "there's not enough supervision (at home)."

Brydon agreed with Karl and ordered her to remain at the New Castle detention facility.

"I'd be remiss," he said, "to release her back into the public."