My question involves criminal law for the state of: Pennsylvania.
I am being accused of stealing personal property in the $2K - $3K range. I was working in a house for two days and was called one day after we finished by someone that I had never met accusing me and my employee of stealing personal property. I was shocked!
The lady who identified herself as a family member not living in this residence stated that we stole some jewelry.
The following day, today, a police officer contacts me stating that he needs statements from both me and my employee. If neither of us confess to the crime, the D.A. will most likely charge both of us.
Here is a detailed description of the scenario as I see it:
The jewelry was in a bedroom on a nightstand that we were mounting a TV in. The TV was on the opposite wall from the nightstand that the jewelry was supposedly left on (I don't recall seeing any jewelry in the room, but I also wasn't looking for it either).
My employee and I were working in this room at different times, both in the same area. Neither one of us had any reason to come within 5 feet of this area.
This is a small community, and just the accusation of any involvement can cause great damage to my character...I expect that I'll need to give up the business if this indeed does go to court, which has been my life for a decade.
Other circumstances that revolve around this:
The people who were in the home that I know about during this time period:
Owner - Single Parent of adult children who don't live at home.
Elderly Person - Sleeping in the room where the jewelry is missing.
Me - In business for 10 years.
Employee - Background check came up squeeky clean when hired, not to mention I have complete trust that he did not do this.
Landscapers were at the property, but apparently not inside the house, only outside.
The lady who owns the jewelry was never there when we were.
The owner of the home had another relative who is elderly staying with him during this entire time, and sleeping in the room where the jewelry was. Here's the most interesting part: The owner told me that the elderly person has alzheimer's.
Apparently someone asked the older person and he didn't know what happened to it either.
The police have not gone to the house yet, they only took a statement over the phone by the person who can't find the jewelry.
I am obviously going to talk to the police to give them my statement, but where do I go from there?
Do they need proof? Can I be charged with anything? Do I have any recourse against the client for falsly accusing me? Should I be worried about the interogation...oops, I mean "statement" that the police are going to take from me? Should I have legal representation present, even though I did nothing wrong? Does anyone have any cases that they can give me that are similiar to this?
Could this be an insurance fraud case? Could the property simply be misplaced in the owners own home two sates away, in thier car, or still in the home that we did work in?
Does there need to be proof of the jewelry even existing?
How can I possiblly be charged with theft? I am still in shock with this whole situation. Someone...everyone, please help!!! My ability to make a living is in serious jeopardy because of these false accusations.

