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On october 17, 2009 in a different county i got 2 tickets open container, & being under 21. should I plead guilty?hire attorney?

I wanted to know what you reccomend me to do hadnt drank from the cop nor was i seen drinking from it. It was on a saturday in gainsville meaning the whole town had cups the whole day and nobody was getting stopped people had beer bottles next to police. but they stopped me at night time. I didnt take a breathilizer or anything nor i ever admitted their was liquor in my cup because to my awareness it was ice tea. It was a based on the cops opinion that i had liquor in my cop another girl that got a ticket too said she had fruit punch and vodka so thats what they wrote on my ticket. I called the state attorneys office to ask if I didnt have to take another 7 hour drive for court and if there was anything i could do to not get my record tainted which is my main concern and she told me no0.

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Attorney answers (2)

Reputation Level 14
Because these are criminal charges, there are serious consequences to simply showing up and entering a guilty plea. Don't do it. Background checks are now a common practice for employers, no need to make yourself look bad over something stupid. You should hire an attorney asap to get this case dismissed. You shouldn't have to show up in court, maybe your attorney can negotiate some sort of diversion program that you can complete long distance.

Get with a local attorney asap,

Reputation Level 13
I've seen little situations like this in Miami really come back on people later in life. There are still criminal elements to these issues and can affect one's ability to get a job, apply to school, etc. Eventually you can have the matter sealed/expunged, but even if the case is dismissed there is still an arrest there (even if you weren't taken into custody).

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