Update on my Petit Larceny court appearance

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

I had my first court date this evening for Petit Larceny of kids clothes....I was not ever asked if I plea guilty or not guilty...the judge was speaking VERY fast and I heard the words plea not guilty on your behalf with many other words I didn't happen to catch because he was talking so fast, and I was just so nervous I didn't know what to expect. So I'm assuming that was his call?

He then asked if I could afford a Lawyer and gave me a paper to apply for a public attorney and set another court date at the beginning of Nov.

So is this normal for a judge to not ask if you plea guilty or not guilty and make you get a lawer? I'm actualy glad I will get a lawyer, I'm just very confused by the process because I have never gone through this before.

That's fine. He wanted you to have the benefit of counsel first. As I said, you can always change a not guilty plea later, but not vice versa. A public defender will likely get you a withheld adjudication if available in your area. If you agree to that, basically you still get sentenced to parole or classes, but once you complete the terms, you don't technically have a conviction and the charges are dismissed.

Thank you for your reply, I'm relieved to get an attorney because I have questions.....if I do not qualify for a public attorney, can anyone give me a rough estimate of what attorneys cost for a case like this?

Well, first there's a sliding scale of qualification for a public defender. They may be free or you may have to pay some or all of the defense, so it's not completely cut and dry. Fill out the forms and find out.

Paying outright for an attorney could be anywhere from $1000 to $5000 or more for this variety of charge if you took it to trial ($2500 very common). Low end is possible if you plan to plea early on. You'll just have to call around and get some quotes.