need help fast....

in Eden, North Carolina about month ago, I received a ticket for driving w/o a license. My fiancee received a similar ticket for letting me drive his car knowing that i had no license. we were told we could go to court or plead guilty and pay the ticket beforehand. we were also given information on a safe driving class to reduce insurance payments and the actual sum of the ticket.
when we called to schedule the class, we were told we HAD to appear in court because driving without a license is a criminal offense. however, on the back of both of our tickets, the officer clearly marked that we did not have to appear in district court if we waived the trial and payed the fine.... which we had full intentions of doing.
we have taken the class, and our court date is on thursday. however, i need to know, what do we do when we get there? do i point out to the judge that we were going to pay the ticket and waive the trial until we found out that we couldn't? should i tell him the officer made a mistake, and clearly marked on both of our tickets that we didn't have to go to court? should we plead guilty or not guilty? do we need a lawyer?
any advice would be very helpful. thank you.

[HomeGuru]

[quote]Originally posted by tipthebartender
[b]in Eden, North Carolina about month ago, I received a ticket for driving w/o a license. My fiancee received a similar ticket for letting me drive his car knowing that i had no license. we were told we could go to court or plead guilty and pay the ticket beforehand. we were also given information on a safe driving class to reduce insurance payments and the actual sum of the ticket.
when we called to schedule the class, we were told we HAD to appear in court because driving without a license is a criminal offense. however, on the back of both of our tickets, the officer clearly marked that we did not have to appear in district court if we waived the trial and payed the fine.... which we had full intentions of doing.
we have taken the class, and our court date is on thursday. however, i need to know, what do we do when we get there? do i point out to the judge that we were going to pay the ticket and waive the trial until we found out that we couldn't?

**A: this is not pertinent to your case.
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should i tell him the officer made a mistake, and clearly marked on both of our tickets that we didn't have to go to court?

**A: this is not pertinent since you will already be in court.
**************
should we plead guilty or not guilty?

**A: why would you plead not guilty unless you can show evidence of having a license at the time of infraction.
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do we need a lawyer?
any advice would be very helpful. thank you.

**A: that may be a good idea.