Mr. Waggoner is absolutely right. If you simply plea guilty, it could affect you the rest of your life, namely it may impair your ability to find a job, if you are a student, it could result in your dismissal from school if it violates a code of student conduct. If you want to handle this without your parents' help and you cannot hire an attorney, speak with the PD before taking any action. A PD may be able to beat the charge if there is a defense or some improper police conduct. I was a PD in Orlando before entering private practice and there are some very good public defenders. However, they are overworked and will not be able to give you the individualized representation that you may need. If your parents will assist you in retaining an attorney, it may be worth the initial embarassment/shame of telling your parents that you picked up a charge. Your parents may be more understanding than you give them credit and I'm sure that would prefer you to go through life without a conviction if it can be avoided. If this is a first-time offense and there are no defenses, an experienced attorney may still be able to help you get into a diversionary program that will allow you to avoid the conviction and possible seal or expunge the arrest at a later date. Most diversionary programs are similar to probation with the biggest difference being that completion of the program will result in the charges being dropped.
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