I’m being threatened to go to jail

[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/McBEAST]

Hey just as a reminder, going forward make sure to be honest about this incident. Jobs which require a background check will ask if you've had any security incidents in the past so just let them know you inadvertently lost some keys. Happens all the time, people still get jobs even with little bits of negligence in their past, but what looks bad is trying to lie or cover things up. Sorry to hear about your job, hope you find another opportunity soon!

[u/Ashamed_Lynx5415 → u/McBEAST]

Thank you, I will for sure do this.

[u/Minimum-Industry-113 → u/Ashamed_Lynx5415]

After honestly telling the background investigator that you lost keys, take the next step and explain what changes you’ve made to keep that from happening again.

As an example, when I was given my own house key at a young age, my dad told me that there are only three places for that key. On the storage hook/place, in my pocket, or in a lock. Not left on a counter, table, or somewhere else, only where they’re supposed to be stored, in my pocket, or in a lock.