Arrested at Las Vegas airport...for a cell phone!!!

[outonbail]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Nevada


I got into trouble last month at Las Vegas airport, i took a cell phone that wasnt mine at the security checkpoint. I got arrested about 30min later when under posession of stolen goods and charged with grand larceny. I have no priors and the officer that made the arrest said that he will be "gentle" on his report, saying that i was cooperative.

How cooperative were you? The metro police usually ask cooperative suspects to write out a statement saying what happened in their own words. Did you write out a statement or sign one?

Well i wasnt violent or pickpocketed this person, or much less took it by force.

Which is why you were charged with Grand Larceny rather than Robbery. However, Grand Larceny can still be a wobbler, meaning it can be filed as a felony or a misdemeanor, depending on the value of the item stolen.
What was the phone you took worth?

What should I do? I don?t even live in Vegas, i reside in San Antonio TX and most lawyers want to charge me $3,500dlls.

Committing crimes against tourists in Las Vegas is not taken lightly. Expect this incident to cost you some $$$. You should plan on being in court on the day and at the time you're scheduled to appear.
Did you post bail or were you released with a signed promise to appear?

what should I do? of course I would plead not guilty but what are my chances with a Public Defender?

Las Vegas has a few of the best public defenders I've personally seen. They have a couple of slugs as well. So it comes down to who is assigned to handle your case.

a former prosecutor and now criminal lawyer said that the State would have to fly back the owner of the cell phone at the preliminary hearing and that is VERY unlikely to happen bc the county court is basically broke and they would not spend more $$ anyway.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated! -josh

First, while Las Vegas is certainly feeling the pinch of the current economic situation, I wouldn't bet on Las Vegas being broke, even with 10 to 1 odds in my favor.

However, I'm not so sure they would fly the victim back anyway for a case as trivial as this one. (Trivial in a comparative sense)
This is why I asked you how cooperative you were. Did you confess to taking the phone knowing it wasn't your phone? Did you sign or write any statements?
They may not need the victim to be present unless you press the issue all the way to trial. If you do that, you can almost bet the Grand Larceny will be (if it is a wobbler) a felony if you are convicted.

I don't see how you're going to get through this situation without at least making one trip back to Vegas and possibly two.

You can contact the court clerk and see if you can enter a plea without being there in person and have the judge assign you a public defender. If so, you can speak to the public defender about arranging a deal for your guilty plea. Then you may only be required to travel there for your sentencing and meeting with the probation department. Plan on being there two to three days to accomplish everything you need to do with the probation department.

If you have no prior criminal record, you will probably be required to pay a fine, do some community service and send thirty dollars or so a month to the probation department along with a monthly report as you will be placed on "Out-of State" probation.