Three witnesses gave testimony Wednesday at the preliminary hearing for a maintenance man accused of abusing his master key at the University Village in Slippery Rock Township.

Joshua E. Kaye, 31, of Slippery Rock Township, appeared before District Judge Joseph Nash after state police charged him with three felony counts of trespassing, as well as misdemeanor counts of possessing criminal instruments and prowling.

According to previous reports, police accused Kaye of drunkenly using his master key to inappropriately enter two apartments in the building during an incident in August.

Assistant district attorney David Beichner called three witnesses to recount the events.

Josh Soveck, a student at Slippery Rock University, said he was visiting friends at the apartment complex that night when he encountered Kaye. He said he experienced Kaye attempting to enter Soveck’s friends apartment twice.

“He told us he was security and maintenance and he could go wherever he wanted, and he put his master key in the door and unlocked it,” he said.

Beichner asked Soveck if Kaye appeared to be intoxicated. Soveck said Kaye was stumbling and slurring his words throughout the incident.

During later testimony, state trooper Ethan Rensel said Kaye appeared to be impaired when they spoke that night.

Corrine Hill, one of the apartment residents, said she interacted with Kaye in the hallway after that first incident.

“He started talking to everyone and getting in everyone’s faces,” she said.

The second time Kaye entered the apartment, Hill said, she filmed the interaction and asked him to leave.

“He wasn’t fully in, we pushed him out and got the door shut,” she said.

During cross-examination, Popovich asked Hill if she was aware Kaye lived in the building, or if maintenance had been called at any point that night. She said no one had called for assistance to her knowledge.

“He was illegally entering our apartment, without permission,” Hill said.

Hill added there was no party occurring within her apartment or the building during the incident.

Anthony Sarkas, another resident of the building, said Kaye put the master key in his apartment door that same night, demonstrating how it worked.

“I saw him walk through the hallway a couple of times with beer, hanging out. He showed (me) the key like some kind of party trick, I thought it was kind of weird,” he said.

Rensel said based on Hill’s video recordings of the interaction and body camera recordings from security guards, he determined Kaye had entered the apartment uninvited.

Following the testimonies, Popovich argued against the charges.

“(Kaye) did not break into a structure, he used a key. It was only showed he entered one apartment,” she said. “Those keys are what he used for his employment, I would argue they’re not criminal instruments. As for prowling at night, Mr. Kaye was a resident and had an apartment, and hallways are common areas he was allowed access to.”

Nash said he believed the commonwealth had met their burden in respect to all counts except prowling at night, which was dismissed.

Summary charges of public drunkenness and disorderly conduct were also sustained in the case.

The case will continue to the Court of Common Pleas in Butler County.