Hello everyone.
A few days ago, while visiting NYC with some friends, I was given two summons by police; one for an "open container of alcohol," and the other for "littering." The date by which I must appear is July 13th, but I plan on getting these out of the way sometime in mid-June.
Firstly, is anyone aware of how much the charges for these run? I was told by the police officer at the time that it would be around 45-50$ total, but looking up charges online I found a site saying that littering charges in NYC are now doubled... so I don't know who to believe (if it matters, I was issued these summons in Brooklyn).
Despite this, I would like to contest the charges, but I am unsure exactly what will come of it if I do. The events surrounding these summons are fairly straightforward. I was at a house-party with my friends when the cops pulled up. I had not been drinking, as I don't drink (not to mention I'm only 20). While the cops were searching the crowd, someone in front of me knocked over a bottle of beer. It began to spill over the pavement and my initial instinct was to reach down and set it up straight (which I did), at which point a police officer addressed me and said that the beer bottle was mine, and that he saw me touch it. I tried contesting the accusation by simply stating that I hadn't been drinking, the bottle wasn't mine, and I had only picked it up because someone had knocked it over. Despite this, he insisted on giving me the two summons.
Given the somewhat hefty charge (50$ is a lot for a college kid), I would like to somehow reduce those charges or get them dropped, but I imagine this would be problematic. If I were to contest the charges at my summons, the judge would then set a later date for an actual trial. I have no legal experience, and, unless the trial was that afternoon, I would have no way of staying in the city (to clear things up: I attend college in Vermont and plan on flying out of New York City to go home; I was hoping to get a late flight out of JFK, arrive early that morning in NYC, get my summons out of the way, and then fly out that night). What, exactly, are my choices? I hate the idea of "admitting" to crimes that I didn't commit, and I have numerous friends who were at the party who are willing to testify that I was not drinking, that the beer was not mine, and that I had not been littering.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!

