Dressed in bright orange shirts and pants issued by the Washington County Jail and cuffed at the wrists and ankles, three defendants charged in the robbery of a BP convenience store in Wexford came to court Wednesday and learned their hearings would be postponed.

A fourth defendant—21-year-old Charles Clark Jr. of Taylortown—waived his preliminary hearing before Magisterial District Judge William K. Wagner and was released on a $5,000 unsecured bond.

Matthew McDonald, 19; David Piatt, 21; and Travis Hallam, 19— will be back in Wagner's court on Jan. 2. All three were returned to the Washington County Jail where they await trial on robbery charges in Somerset and Chartiers townships.

The defendants are from Washington County.

Clark was out of jail despite the fact that Wagner ordered him held on a $50,000 bond.

Clark told the judge that he was released in Washington County after his mother arranged bail after his preliminary hearing in the Somerset Township robbery case. Court documents show M & M Bail Bonds of Brownsville posted his $10,000 bond.

After a Dec. 5 hearing for charges in a Chartiers Township robbery, Clark was released on his own recognizance.

Wagner lowered the bond to $5,000 Wednesday after noting that Clark had been cooperative and showed up for his prelimiinary hearing.

All four defendants face multiple felony and misdemeanor charges related to three Nov. 13 robberies—at the BP in Marshall Township, the Kwik Fill in Chartiers Township and a Subway in Somerset Township.

For previous stories about the BP robbery, click on these stories:

Bail Set at $50,000 for Two Washington County Men Charged in BP Robbery

Suspect in Wexford BP Robbery, Other Holdups Released on Bail in October

Do You Recognize This Man? Police Release Surveillance Photos of Robbery Suspect

Update: Police Investigate Armed Robbery at Wexford BP Station

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