First time situation

What is the name of your state? Florida

Okay..last Saturday I was caught shoplifting..it was an extremely stupid thing to do. I have 2 questions..the first thing is..what do you think is the worse that will happen? The police officer I spoke to gave me a Notice To Appear..so I went in yesterday (Monday) to get a court date..then I realized I will be going to California during that time..so I went back today and the judge's secretary changed the court date or whatever to a pre-trial..is that better than a full out court session? Also the police officer I dealt with told me I should just go in the courtroom..and admit my guilt and how it was a stupid thing of me..and the worse that SHOULD happen is a fine and maybe some community service. I'm just wondering if jailtime happens often for first time offenders? I mean..I work fulltime and in school part time about to enroll fulltime..this was just a stupid stupid mistake. Should I just go ahead and admit guilt and everything during the pre-trial? What is a pretrial anyways? I apologize for the numerous questions..but any help will be greatly appreciated!What is the name of your state?

what did you shoplift? have you thought about contacting the merchant and settling with them in exchange for them dropping the complaint?

Thanks for replying back. It was some perfume worth 40.00..I did ask the guy who was writing up the situation and taking a picture if we could reach a resolution..and he said they prosecute everyone no matter age..or amount or anything

You need an attorney. You may qualify for the Public Defender.

It sounds as though the clerk entered your plea of 'not guilty' and scheduled you for pre-trial - just a preliminary court hearing to see if the case can settle without a jury trial; if all discovery requests are complied with; all pre-trial motions are filed, etc. ...

Once your plea is entered, the clock starts ticking toward a jury trial (in most states, the Prosecution has 45 days from your entry of plea to bring your case to trial).

Speak with an atty who is local to that area - ask if there is any kind of diversion program available, or if your case can be expunged or sealed later.

A theft conviction will severely limit your future employment and can lead to a felony conviction for any future petty theft. Seek the advice of a local atty.

I didn't plead anything! I was actually going to follow the advice of the police officer and plead guilty- the assistant didn't tell me she did anything like that (as in put not-guilty) ..and I asked her if a pretrial means I'll have to come back and she says it depends. I"ll definitely contact a lawyer though. thanks