I am 17, and was caught shoplifting at a Wal-Mart, in Texas. I was with a friend, who is 16. We had done it before, but only once and took make up and got away with it, so we tried it again. We bought what we needed, and also stole some make up again. I know everyone says you cant get caught your first few times, but we ov. suck at it, so we did. They stopped us as we were walking to our car, and told us to come back in with them. They took us to a back room, and filled out paper work and took down our DL info and our SS # and alot more info. I don't recall signing paperwork from the WalMart people, but I might have. The total for my stuff was $30 and my friends was $20. They called a cop, and he wrote us each a ticket, and told us we needed to contact the court by a certain date. They called our parents, and we left with out parents, and we did not get banned from the store. I contacted the court, and they gave me a fine, but I asked, will it go on my records, the ladie said if I paid the fine, then yes, it would go on my record. I would like to know if I went threw the trouble of getting a lawyer, what are the chances that the charges will be dropped? I have never been in trouble with anything before, and this was my wake up call to get back on the right track again. PLEASE HELP! I am truely scared to death, and terrified that colleges wont accept me or it will be difficult for me to find a job. I wish I had seen this site, before I made the terrible mistake, that I am paying for.
Thank you

