Shoplifting, Larceny, Robbery, Theft Going to court for petty larceny and need help!

Good evening. I am sixteen years old and got caught for stealing items from (dept. store)worth $125. I was told I would have to go to court in a week and plead guilty or not guilty, & i cannot afford a lawyer. The day of the arrest I spoke to the police offer who arrested me and he told me I was going to go to court and plead not guilty. Than the next time that I would go, I would be offered like a deal from the court which is like community service and a class and I would get it removed from my record. However now thinking about it, I think I should plead guilty but i'm not too sure. My record was completely clean before this and I had never gotten in trouble with the law at all before. I completely learned my lesson and I'm never going to do anything like this again. Am i going to be able to get this off my record? Also, what's going to happen? Is the judge going to offer me a ACOD(i believe) which is like telling me to take a shoplifting class?

Is the charges different for being 16 opposed to 15?

Thank you!

What i'm really worrying about is if I should plead guilty or not? I've been reading online and extremely confused. Could someone please clear it up for me? Sorry I'm unable to edit my previous post

The last thing you want to do is just walk in and plead guilty! Talk to a Lawyer ask about ACD or diversion as possible plea options. You do not want a criminal record!! I work in Retail theft field and see young people just like yourself ruin their future by making the mistake of pleading guilty. I also advise those I consult that if they post on their shoplifting concerns over internet not to include store name!

I removed the name of the store for you & agree that you need to speak with a lawyer. The lawyer will get you the best outcome possible.

Steven3001 said:

What i'm really worrying about is if I should plead guilty or not? I've been reading online and extremely confused. Could someone please clear it up for me? Sorry I'm unable to edit my previous post

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As a juvenile, your mom, dad, or both must attend court with you.
You mom and dad need to discuss this.
Pleading guilty will only make things worse in 2, 3, or 10 years.
Have mom or dad plead you not guilty and hire you a lawyer, or ask the court to appoint one to represent you if hiring one is not possible.
Stay away from that store, far away.
Keep out of more trouble, or this will get very rough, very quickly.
Work hard in school, and see if your teachers will write character letters to help the judge make a decision that is better for you.