My question involves criminal law for the state of: Los Angeles

Hello,

I am going to get right to the point, I am on a F-1 student visa and
On december 21,2010, i was caught stealing a $80 item from a local walmart. I was escorted to the back room where they made me sign papers saying i will not enter the property again and also called the police. The police wrote me a ticket and said i should expect a letter in the mail regarding court dates.

I can pay up to $500. But what should i do? Should i hire a lawyer/local attorney? should i plead guilty?

Will I serve time in jail?

how will this effect my F-1?

This is my first offense of any type not even a parking ticket or a speeding ticket.

Please help ASAP.

Thank You

forgot to mention, we also filed for our greencard couple months ago.

how will this affect my GC processing?