Can They Have Me Arrested for These False Accusations Against Me

[Afraidd]

My question involves labor and employment law for the state of:

I work at a veterinary clinic and today, a co-worker advised me that my boss thinks I'm stealing cash from transactions (taking cash and deleting the transactions as if they never came in) and is going to e-mail our corporate office to see what to do. The problem with this is that is isn't true! I have stole nothing from this clinic!! It upset me so much that I cried just b/c of the anger and betrayal I felt from this office b/c I put a lot of hard work into this place!! The "transactions" that they are accusing me of taking - they have NO EVIDENCE of anything! The days that they are accusing me of the money being taken had multiple employees there. There are no cameras or anything to prove that I DIDN'T TAKE ANYTHING! When the boss approached me of this, I told her what the co-worker told me and that I was afraid I was going to get arrested for something that I didn't do! She stated she had not called the corporate office and that she doesn't think the co-worker said that! I feel like I'm being set up and I am just sooo afraid I'm going to get arrested for this nonsense that I didn't do! I had already put my two weeks in (about a week earlier) because I got a better job that was full time (this was part time). Please help me! I'm literally having a panic attack over this!! I don't want to go to jail (I'm 27 years old)!!

[Conrad Hunter]

If you have done nothing wrong, there is no evidence to prove that you did. You have nothing to worry about.

I think the other employee is screwing with you for some reason.

Without video catching you in the act, there is no chance of an arrest. There is a low chance that someone could make a false allegation.

What kind of a moron setup do they have that anyone could delete transactions without a trace? If that is the case, no DA/SA would touch such a case. Even in the most backward shop, there are numbered sales tickets.
There is a sign telling customers to be sure to get a receipt. If a transaction is cancelled, someone else has to sign off on it. There could not be many cancelled transactions (numbered sales slips) in a day or even a week normally.

I would think that in a veterinary clinic most transactions are going to be fairly sizable and be done with credit cards and checks.

The office manager or whoever is in charge, and certainly if there is a corporate level, is responsible for putting procedures in place that do not allow theft to happen and certainly not cash from customer transactions. If there aren't such procedures these people are incompetent morons.

Without conclusive proof no da/sa is going to touch this farce with a ten foot pole.

Being that the work place is obviously harrassing and the people there are incompetent, I would leave immediately. Even with the whole notice thing do you think they are going to give you good references in the future. You have a new job so you don't need them to provide a reference so you can get that job. I would give them a notice that because of the hostile work environment, threats and their total incompetence in managing office operations and customer transactions you are leaving immediately.

[Beth3]

I had already put my two weeks in (about a week earlier) because I got a better job that was full time (this was part time). So work out the balance of your time there and start your new job as scheduled. If it's just too stressful to stay, then you're free to leave your current job right away.

It's entirely possible, if not likely, that the co-worker who told you this GROSSLY exaggered the situation. Based on the boss's comments to you, he doesn't seem to have you on his radar (any more than he has anyone else in the office) for the missing money - assuming any money is missing in the first place.

No, your employer can't have you arrested. If they have proof you stole the money (which obviously they don't have), then they can file a criminal complaint with the police. It's up to the police to decide whether to arrest you and if there isn't compelling evidence you took the money, they won't.

You can calm down.