Alcohol & Drugs: MIP, MIC, Intoxication First Time Arrest: disorderly intoxication

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info4citizen

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I was arrested last week for disorderly intoxication (second degree misdemeanor). This was the first time I have ever been arrested (haven't even had a traffic ticket for over 7 years). I am 32 years old, am married, a homeowner, am employed by Florida State University, and have three higher education degrees including a Ph.D.

Here are the facts of the arrest:
I was arrested outside of a bar. The bartender called the sheriff's department after I became mad at what I perceived to be an overpriced bill. Regardless, I paid the bill. I walked outside to grab my cell phone from my vehicle, but was intercepted by four officers. The arresting officer interrogated me and put me under arrest for the following (written verbatim from the report): "I placed subject under arrest for disorderly intoxication, due to his level of intoxication, his unwillingness to comply with demands and his actions inside the bar."

I have a court date set for the second week of January 2009. I would like input from the forum as to what I should do before then in order to have this charge dismissed/dropped or at least reduced to the lowest possible charge & penalty.

I assume that my previous record, combined with my status as a "decent" member of society will go a long way in the judge's eyes. Should I rest on those laurels or should I pursue arguing against the "facts" of the report? Specifically, I claim there to be two exaggerations and two omissions from the report. The first exaggeration is that after paying my tab, I "wadded the bill and threw it at the bartender." Although I admit that I forcefully shoved it across the surface of the bar after signing the receipt, it was certainly never thrown. The second exaggeration is that the arresting officer wrote that upon being asked for my ID I stated, "Why I ain't done nothing wrong." As mentioned above, I possess a PhD and much of my job requires a solid grasp of the English language, both in verbal and written forms. I can say with certainty that I never use the word "ain't," and also do not speak in double negative. I suppose my point here is that the "facts" of the report are likely incorrect.

The two omissions from the report are as follows: 1) the bill was in fact about twice what it should have been (I have been to the bar on several previous occasions) and 2) the way the officers approached me frightened me horribly. The officers yelled "Stop," blinded me with a very bright light, and one officer forcefully threw me against my vehicle. I bring this up because although I was at first noncompliant, I was also disoriented and scared. I didn't behave "normally" because that was far from a "normal" situation for me.

Thank you for your advice,
Info4citizen
 
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