Shoplifitng from Kohls

My question involves criminal law for the state of: Texas (TX), Tarrant county.
I am 15 years old, this is my first ever offense and the citation was a Class C misdemeanor under 50$.
Earlier today I was caught shoplifting a 36$ pair of sunglasses at Kohls. I got the glasses I wanted, went to the bathroom and ripped the tags of and threw them in the trash. The supervisor was actually using the urinal at the time and grabbed the tag out of the trash and followed me out of the store to make the alarms go off. He told me to come sit in his office, I signed papers saying im banned from kohls for life, and called the Keller police department.
The cops showed up, called my dad and Told me i had to call a number to arrange a court date by 7-17-12.
They said i could get community service, pretrial diversion (the one officer actually told me he was the instructor of the class) and/or a fine. So my questions are...

What should i plea when i go to court?
if i were to plea guilty right away and act sorry, is there a chance for pretrial diversion?
If i plea not guilty, how much are the costs (price range) of A Public Defender?
If i plea not guilty and cannot afford a P.D., what happens then?
And is it possible to get this completely erased from my record? this is my first time ever in trouble with the law for anything.

Expect those glasses to cost your parents around $2000 after court costs and fines, civil demand, and lawyer/public defender. Pretrial Diversion - that also has costs.....

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Quoting PandorasBox

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Expect those glasses to cost your parents around $2000 after court costs and fines, civil demand, and lawyer/public defender. Pretrial Diversion - that also has costs.....

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that didnt answer my question- does a court appointed attorney cost nothing to me, and if so how do i qualify for pretrial diversion?

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Quoting jaysun

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What should i plea when i go to court?

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That's entirely up to you and your parentals to decide. Not guilty is always a smart choice unless you want a record.

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Quoting jaysun

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if i were to plea guilty right away and act sorry, is there a chance for pretrial diversion?

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Is there a chance? Possibly but I wouldn't count on it. Those things are usually worked out with the prosecutor prior to sentencing.

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Quoting jaysun

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If i plea not guilty, how much are the costs (price range) of A Public Defender?

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It depends on whether the court finds that you are capable of contributing to the cost. If so, it will be up to the court to determine how much. I'm not sure if your parents income would be considered since you area juvenile but I'd put the odds at pretty good.

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Quoting jaysun

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If i plea not guilty and cannot afford a P.D., what happens then?

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If you cannot afford it and are eligible, one should be provided at no cost. If the court determines you are not eligible, then you and your parents will have to seek representation from a criminal defense attorney.

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Quoting jaysun

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And is it possible to get this completely erased from my record? this is my first time ever in trouble with the law for anything.

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This is a question for your attorney. As a juvenile first offender, it may be possible to remove it from public records.

Where the OP lives you are only eligible for a court appointed attorney if there is a possibility of jail time. Even then, the Tarrant County court accesses a fee and the court determines eligibility, after financial examination.

In Texas a Class C Misdemeanor is is punishable by a fine of up to $500. So it appears you would not be eligible for a court appointed attorney.