20 yr old in VA with underage drinking citation

[kellyhutch]

Virginia.

I am in TN but my 20 year old daughter is attending college in VA. She was pulled over for a broken tail light by campus police on 4/3. She was asked if she had been drinking and she admitted she had. She was given a ticket for under age consumption of alcohol but not the broken tail light. Her school and driving records are clean and this is her first offense. It appears the ticket is in trafic court. I called the clerks office and they said I cannot pay the fine without going to court. I have two questions...what can we expect frmo this? and should I be there at her May court date? I was told we would not necessarily need an attorney, but it may be helpful if she had a parent there to support her? Any guidance on this would rest my mind as I am a few statesd away and feeling a bit helpless! Kelly in TN

[FlyingRon]

Your child is an adult, but just not allowed to drink. This is a serious charge, a class 1 (the most serious) misdemeanor not some traffic ticket. She must go to court. She could ace a fine of up to $2,500 and/or a year in jail and/or fifty hours of community service, and can lose her driver's license for up to a year.

I seriously recommend that she contact a lawyer or at least the legal aid office at her college.
She needs a lawyer more than she needs her mommy right now.