My question involves criminal law for the state of: Florida


I have no criminal record as an adult. I am 21 year old female. My fiance just recently became a long haul truck driver and was allowed time to come back to visit, i live with my parents since he went on the road. So he parked at the State rest area and i came to stay with him in his truck for the night, i parked my car next to his truck and we went to sleep. Around 4am in the morning a state police offer bangs on the window, asking who the car belonged to and my fiance informed him it was mine and that i was his fiance here with him staying in the cab. The officer informed me that i was in the "truck/rv" parking only area(this is the back of the rest area) and that i would have to move my car to where the cars are parked(in the front area.) He stated that i could NOT drive around to the front but that i would have to leave the rest area, get onto the interstate and circle around to get back to the rest area from the interstate(which is about 7 miles). The officer said nothing else and so i went on to do like he asked, as soon as i hit the on-ramp to go onto the interstate he pulled me over. I asked him what he was pulling me over for, he never answered me, just questioned me about my parking and what i was doing there. He basically said that he thought i was a prostitute out there at the truck stop. I provided him with all my fiance's information proving i was no such thing, i gave him my license, registration, insurance which is all current. Then two other male polices officer came up, only one spoke and asked me what i was doing out at 4am with a low cut dress on(IT WAS A NIGHTGOWN) at a truck stop and could he search my vehicle. I told him no. Then he stated that he had a police narcotics dog and that he was going to make the dog come to my car and if he hit anything, he was going to impound my car for the max 72 hours and then if they found anything they would keep my car. He asked did i have anything small like marijuana in the car so i told him yes there might be(i was trying to be honest..) and he made me get out of the car. He searched my car found 4 grams of marijuana and a glass pipe. He also found ONE Zanaflexin pill along the bottom of my door, which is a muscle relaxer but non-narcotic. I must of dropped it sometime and didn't know it was in there. He asked did i have a prescription for the pills in my car (i didnt know he found that i thought he was talking about birth control or antiobiotic) so i stated that i had a prescription for whatever was in there. I then told him i didn't know what that was and they stated that they would send it to the lab if it was a controlled substance i would be charged with a FELONY and they arrested me(on paper) and gave me a notice to appear on 1 count Possession of Marijuana 1 count Paraphernalia at the courthouse. The report the officer gave me states he told me to move my illegally parked car and i entered the highway and he performed a traffic stop. He had no reason to pull me over whatsoever except that he THOUGHT i was a prostitute!


I went to a lawyer today(jeez $100 for 30 minutes ) and he told me that based on what the report and my side of the story is that they should of searched me then when he first made contact with me to ask me to move my car and the fact he pulled me over less than 200 ft from where he asked me to leave from for NO reason and i recieved NO citation or ticket for even the parking that he had no reason to pull me over so that this should be dismissed. He wants $1700 to do this before my first court date in 30 days. I really don't have that kind of money but i need to know my options...i go to college for health information administration i can't have a drug offense. I can't pay him $1700 but i'm also very scared to take my chances with a public defender.. I have no criminal record! No drug charges. Please help

Best case scenario?
Worse case scenario?
Lawyer or public defender?