My three questions involve criminal law for the state of: Georgia
I am a 19 yo full-time college student at a university in Pennsylvania and was caught shoplifting (first offence, no prior record) about $130 of items from Walmart. I have a court date set for September 20, but leave for school in mid-August and am almost certainly unable to come back for the court date.
1. How do I resolve this issue?
Also, in my idiocy, I gave them my address in Pennsylvania and not in Georgia, where the case is.
2. I have absolutely no idea how to deal with this since the mail will probably come before I get back to Pennsylvania.
Also, I have been researching Pretrial Diversion programs, but it sounds like I will not qualify because I will be out of state for the next year. I am scared out of my mind as to what will happen to me (I know I will pay some hefty fines and will have a criminal record but am terrified of doing jail time) and have absolutely no idea what to do. Hiring a lawyer is also not possible as money is tight.
3. Is there any step-by-step advice/plan of action anyone could offer as to how to get through the consequences of my idiocy? I would also like some information on how to have this expunged from my record in the near future before I enter the professional workforce (or ASAP).

