I was caught shoplifting from Von Maur about 2 months ago, I had an arraignment sceduled about a month ago, where the judge persueded me to plead not guilty and not I have a pre-trail set for 2 weeks from now. I was told to contact the prosecutor and try to work something out, but I don't know how to go about doing that, Ive tried and have been unsuccessful. The judge also told me that I shouldn't need to hire a lawyer/attorney because I'm 18, this is the first time I have ever gotten into trouble, and if I work something out with the prosecutor and agree to stay out of trouble (and don't) I won't have a criminal record, although I will still have fines to pay. Can you give me some advise on how to contact the prosecutor, what to say, and what to expect at the pre-trial? Also, will I have a trial as well? I'm very unfamiliar with how the court system operates and I thought everything would be done with after my first court date. Please help, Thanks.

