To make a long story short, I have an open criminal case with petty theft charges (shoplifting a $20 item). In Ohio, this constitutes a Class A Misdemeanor (6 mo jail, $1000 max punishment) and is a crime of moral turplitude, but also falls under the petty offense exception. Thus, I am not deportable/inadmissible. However, I am currently applying for Naturalization (process was started before the criminal charges occured, so they are not mentioned on the N-400 application). I have an interview scheduled in 20 days, and the criminal case will certainly not be resolved by then.
My question is - is it safe/smart to go to the interview with an open criminal case? I would, of course, bring all documents, explain everything, etc. But would it be better to postpone the interview until after the criminal case is settled? Or withdraw entirely for now, and reapply later (if later, how much later - after probation is over, or 5 years later)?
Also: does the petty offense exception apply to naturalization's CIMT parameters, or only to inadmissibility? In other words, would citizenship be automatically denied for the next 5 years, or would the petty offense exception apply?

