Class C misdemeanor theft charge in Texas
I (26F) just got caught with over $90 worth of stuff in a Walmart. Manager said she wasn't going to call PD but she did anyway and I was charged with class c and a $100 fine. I'm panicking right now because I really need this off my record. This is my first charge ever so I have no idea what to do. After a little bit of Googling it sounds like if I pay for the fine then it means that I am guilty and there's no way for me to expunge it after that. However, if I don't pay for it and show up to the court date, I can ask the judge for a deferred adjudication. All I have to do then is keep my records clean for 180 days, then the class c charge will be erased from my records. Is this about right?
Also some other questions I have:
- Is expungement a possibility?
- I know expungement and deferred adjudication are different but do they go hand in hand? Deferred adjudication first and then expungement?
- Can the judge give me deferred adjudication even if I actually am guilty and admit to it? Kinda confused by how this is granted to me.
- How much would a lawyer cost for something like this in Texas? Just a ballpark would be ok
- Given the fact that I have never had any previous charges, would it be likely that a deferred adjudication will be granted to me?
- Apparently the prosecutor also has to be there. Will it be the employee who stopped me or a company representative? I'm sure it's a rep but for some reason the employee told me they would personally see me in court. Not sure if it's an exaggeration or what.
Please correct me if I'm wrong about anything and any advice/suggestions would be great.