My question involves criminal law for the state of: Tennessee
I'm 19 and earlier today I received a ticket by a Park Ranger for possession of a controlled substance. I had less than an 1/8th on me.
He wrote me a ticket for $375 and said I have the option of just paying the ticket or appearing in court. Mind you this is Federal Court since I was in National Park property. This is my first offense ever, never even had a traffic violation. The ranger told me this was a petty offense and would only really show up on my record if somebody did a thorough background scan.
My question is, since this is my first offense, should I appear in court and try and get the fine lowered, changed to community service, or dropped from my record? Keep in mind this is Federal Court and I'm only worried that the judge may be annoyed he has to deal with this small of a charge.

