My question involves criminal law for the state of: Oregon
I am an out of state resident (I live in New York). I was arrested yesterday in Oregon for shoplifting $45 worth of stuff from Sears. Went to police station, was photographed and fingerprinted.
So now I am flying back to Oregon next month for a court date, in circuit court. I've been charged with class II theft. I am 23, this is my first misdemeanor ever, no prior criminal record. I don't really have the money to hire an attorney, but if that is truly a better option than working with a court appointed attorney then I will try to scrounge some money together.
Please help me out with the following questions, I am truly terrified that I've ****ed up my whole future. I've graduated from college and have been busy trying to find a decent job for the past 7 months, I guess this is just going to make it harder.
1- How should I plead, in order to have a greater chance of getting this off my record? What is the sentence likely to be? I am clean-cut young professional who's never done anything like this before and definitely never will again.
2- I have to be at court at 3 p.m. Should I show up earlier, to talk to the court-appointed lawyer, or do I show up at 3 p.m.?
3- If they sentence me to do community service in Oregon, how will I do it if I am an out of state resident? Just take a leave of absence from my job in New York?
4- Since this is a misdeamenor, does it only appear for my record in the state of Oregon, or can basically anybody anywhere (New York, D.C., jobs in media companies overseas) find this on my record? How should I plead to get this off my record?
5- Am I banned from Sears for life, or for 5 years or 1 year? Store security told me but I was so anxious that I can't remember the exact number now.
Please help! Am desperate not to have this **** up the rest of my life, but I kind of have a feeling like that is what has happened.

