I'm 19 years old and live in Ohio. I was caught shoplifting about $40 worth of merchandise from a Kmart. I was arrested and given a summons to court. My arraignment is this Friday and I'm not sure what to expect. I just want to get the best possible outcome for myself. I'm a good person who just made a really dumb decision. I don't have a record, not even a traffick tickit. This is the only bad thing I've done in my life. To my understanding, since this is my first offense, my punnishment will be along the lines of paying court fees, restitution to the store, fines, and probation. Here's where I have some questions.
1.How should I plead? If I plead guilty, the judge can sentence me right then and there. If I plead not guilty, I can get a public defender to help me out. Will having one make a big difference? I've never been in trouble before, so will there be a big difference in my sentence?
2.How can I get this charge off my record? Is there some kind of "second chance" option available to me since I'm a first time offender?
3.What in general should I expect?
That's a lot of questions, but I'm pretty clueless so any help would be fantastic.
1.How should I plead? If I plead guilty, the judge can sentence me right then and there. If I plead not guilty, I can get a public defender to help me out. Will having one make a big difference? I've never been in trouble before, so will there be a big difference in my sentence?
2.How can I get this charge off my record? Is there some kind of "second chance" option available to me since I'm a first time offender?
3.What in general should I expect?
That's a lot of questions, but I'm pretty clueless so any help would be fantastic.
