Ontario, Canada.

I've done something horribly stupid.
I got into a very very minor fender bender with a lady. It was actually, her fault, imo.

We initially agreed and were going to exchange our names and phone numbers. The wind blew open my jacket and exposed my photo name tag. The woman wrote down my name and said she would not give me hers, said I would have to pay everything and demanded my phone number.

I very stupidly grabbed at the piece of paper she wrote my name on. As I was grabbing for the paper, she turned her body and I pulled my hands away from her.

A young man and woman had observed from their car and stopped and rushed over. By this time I was standing several feet from the woman. After the young woman and man came over to us, the woman I had the fender bender with started crying. They advised her to have me charged with assault and said they would witness.
The young man when he called the police claimed on the phone I was man-handling the woman and this was simply untrue.
I told the young man I thought it was ridiculous what he said.

The police were called. I said nothing more and waited in my car.
When the police came, I was only asked my version in passing. I was not asked for any details. One of the police who attended stated I had QUOTE rammed into her car twice UNQUOTE.

I pointed to the policeman that the decals on my car were still intact and that the paint had not been blistered and that its not true (what he said about my ramming her car twice) I then became very quiet after that and did not talk. I felt it would do no good and no one asked me anything else anyways.

After a few minutes, I was charged with assault and given a single ticket to appear to be finger printed and then a trial the following week.

I have NEVER been charged or even questioned with any criminial or minor offence in my over fifty years. I have worked in areas of trust municipally, provicially and federally over many years.

I've never even had a brush with the law in past. I don't even have a bad temper or anything like that although, I admit I thought some not so nice things when the woman said she had my name and I'd have to pay for everything with her car.

I was however, very very stupid to reach to grab at that piece of paper that woman had. She held onto it.

What will be the likely outcome of my trial ? I am quite poor but I am debt free. What purpose would it serve to put me in jail or to destroy my career ?

The policeman in the police car that charged me was very polite and not the one who claimed I had rammed the woman's car twice. He sort of sounded in tone anyways, that he was not too happy about having to charge me.

What about the car repairs in the meantime ? She has black smudge marks on her bumper and she claims I somehow gave her a flat tire but there are no dents in my car at all.

And yes, once again, I was very very stupid to grab at that piece of paper. I did it instictively without even thinking. Imagine at my age doing something so stupid and reactionary. Like they say, no fool like an old fool.

Your feedback and advice as to what will likely happen to me would be very much appreciated.

I am getting too old to worry like this but, I admit I am very worried that something terrible will come as a result of this.

Ontario Canada