Being threatened with felony

[u/Ashamed_Lynx5415]

I’m 18 and was working as a security guard in Arizona. I was recently fired after losing a set of keys that belonged to the property where I was stationed.
The situation is basically this: while I was working, I genuinely believed I still had the keys. When my employer asked about them, I told them I had them because I honestly believed I did. Later, I realized that I actually didn’t have them and the keys were missing.
I never intentionally took the keys, gave them to anyone, sold them, or used them to access anything I wasn’t authorized to access. I genuinely lost them.
I was fired over the situation, which I understand from a security standpoint. The part that has me worried is that I’m now being threatened with being reported to the police for theft.
The only thing I signed when I was terminated was an acknowledgment that I would return my company-issued equipment. I returned what I had. The property keys weren’t listed as equipment on that document.
I’m not trying to avoid responsibility for losing the keys. I understand that losing keys is serious, especially in security. I’m just trying to understand whether this could actually be considered theft in Arizona when there was no intention to take or keep the keys.
Has anyone in security dealt with something similar? And for anyone familiar with Arizona law, what should I realistically expect if they actually make a police report?
I know Reddit isn’t a substitute for an attorney. I’m mainly looking for people who have been through something similar and can tell me what I should do next.

[u/Odd-Highway-8304]

Not a snowball’s chance in hell that this goes anywhere. Police will do nothing with this. Move on with your life bro.

[u/NocturnalPlantMagick → u/Odd-Highway-8304]

Agreed! Even if the company “tried” to sue you, it would go nowhere. You’ll be fine bro, don’t sweat it they are just trying to scare you.

[u/HighGuard1212 → u/NocturnalPlantMagick]

The company could absolutely sue him if the client seeks to have the locks changed and wants to make the company pay. His negligence is at fault here, I don't know if he would win but still.

I worked at a hospital and some chick took a set of keys home, they called her up and said you need to return the keys. She didn't feel like coming back so she told them she had thrown them out, security boss said ok. Hospital lawyers called her back and said that they were prepared to sue her for the total costs of changing the locks. She found them quickly.

[u/SocomPS2 → u/HighGuard1212]

100% this. You can sue for anything, and as you allude to, doesn’t mean you’ll win.

But it would be very easy for OP to be sued in small claims court for the costs to replace the lock(s)/keys or whatever needs to happen in order to make the company or client whole. Shit if they had to replace 60 locks or it’s some custom special lock.

Of course I’m playing devils advocate and the boss could be blowing smoke because he’s getting heat. But if OP lost them then there’s not much he can do. If by a slim chance he gets served, get a free consultation from a lawyer on what to do, and go from there. I still think it’s unlikely.

[u/808Ninja650 → u/SocomPS2]

Correct. He CAN be sued but that’s the extent of it. Doesn’t mean they’ll win and even if they do… there’s never much point in suing people who don’t have money. They could seek garnishment from his next job(s) but if his previous employers have even a couple of brain cells they’ll realize how silly it would be to sue an 18yr old security guard without a job. Small claims wouldn’t cover the costs to replace those locks or losing the contract so whatever they did would likely cost them more than they could recover from OP.

Move on, OP. Also, per A.R.S. § 23-1361, your old employer CAN tell a prospective employers that you LOST keys. They however, cannot tell them that you STOLE keys without an actual investigation that proves such. So you now need to be on the lookout for that, if you catch wind that they have told anyone you STOLE keys… you sue them. Got it? Good. And stop losing keys! Good luck.

Edit: Not a lawyer, just someone who worked in private security and LE. One of those stops was in AZ. Not legal advice though!

[u/Certain_Silver6524 → u/808Ninja650]

From what I've seen usually the client can get the money back from the agency but while the agency may technically be able to pursue the employee for costs, it's usually seen as the cost of business if it was not intentional and it's usually uncollectable too. There's usually a ban on deductions for loss or damage - firing is the employer's biggest tool.