Hi, everyone. About six months ago, I made a bad friend. We both are excellent students at our college and have ambitious plans for the future. But somehow we were terrible influences on each other. During a period of about six weeks, we shoplifted all over the place at every opportunity we had. We never got caught. Eventually we had a falling-out and we stopped (we stopped in late October). I haven't spoken to her since but I see her around campus a lot. I went to France in January for a short vacation and, when I flew back into the country, I was detained at the airport. The officer who arrested me told me that there were two outstanding warrants for my arrest in Baton Rouge, Louisiana dating back to October 17th. One warrant was for felony theft in the amount of $195 and the other was for conspiracy to commit theft. I went to jail for a few days in New York and had a court date there where the public defender told me that I was caught on tape shoplifting (the judge threw out my case and Louisiana decided not to extradite me "due to cost").
As soon as I got back to Louisiana, I contacted an attorney and asked him how $195 is a felony theft and he said that SHOPLIFTING anything over $100 is a felony in Louisiana. The conspiracy charge is also probably a felony. Anyhow, I have two questions for you all: #1: how in the WORLD did I get caught? I never got caught while we were out stealing and I know that my friend did not turn me in because she was always there with me stealing and also she did far worse things than I did. Whereas I merely shoplifted, she sold stolen property over the internet, stole way more than I did---I have way more dirt on her than she does on me and I know she did not turn me in.
#2-- What will happen to me? This is a first-time offense. I am a clean-cut, straight-A student and I do a lot of community work.
I know that first I have to turn myself in to satisfy the arrest warrants. I will do so as soon as the semester is over because I don't want to miss any school.
Is there a chance that I can get the charges dropped in exchange for completing a diversion program?
Can I convince the judge that I can be a productive member of society and to go easy on my criminal record?
Please don't post responses like "face up to what you did" and "you did the crime now do the time." I am a tough cookie and take full responsibility for my actions. A jail sentence is not what I fear--what I fear is that one stupid episode in my life (out of which I apparently got caught one time) will ruin the rest of my life with a permanent criminal record. Is there any possibility that I can avoid this?
Thank you!!!!!

