Should You Hire a Lawyer for a Theft Charge

[hamburgertime]

I was caught stealing a t shirt under $10 at walmart the other day. I know how incredibly stupid this was and all i want to do is move on with my life.

I've been doing research on this and I just have a few questions about it and if someone could answer them i would feel better about the whole situation.
1. I was not arrested, the cop just wrote me a fine/ ticket on a green ticket and told me to show up before June 6th. Do I need a lawyer for this? i do not have a court date. it's a walk in kind of deal.
2. Will i have a criminal record and if so how do i get it expunged?
3. Should i tell the judge my story? I went in with a friend, so was stealing make up and stuff and i was just walking with her not stealing anything. when she finished stealing her makeup i said "ok let's go" but she wanted to get some clothes as we walked through the clothing line i noticed a superman tshirt i liked so i stuck it in my pocket. I feel like this story might explain the context in which i stole, but i don't know if its a good idea to tell the judge unless they ask.


Any further advice in this would be greatly appreciated. thank you!

[flyingron]

You need to tell us what state you are in.
Most likely however, you do need a lawyer.

1. The ticket is the arrest.

2. Expungement varies from state to state from impossible to it takes time and money. However, this is putting the cart before the horse, you want to avoid getting convicted. Some states will offer a second-chance (typically called diversion or the like) to avoid getting this entered as a conviction.

3. Why on earth would you tell that story. My friend stole so I stole too? Do you think that makes things OK? Do you think it some how mitigates what you did? Are you insane. Generally one does not go flaunting the fact you intentionally broke the law in court.

[hamburgertime]

I live in Texas. will i have a criminal record?

[Security Consultant]

Please provide what you were actually charged with along with the code.

[flyingron]

In that case, you're most likely charged with the class C misdemeanor theft and you should be able to get a conditional discharge which will be expunge able.
You still need a lawyer.

[hamburgertime]

the ticket says:
ct 31
PCT and place 3
ID # 8883