Criminal Law J-1 visa holder charged for Alcohol Consumption (not driving)

[PleaseHelp]

Hi!

I think this is an excellent resource... Thanks in advance to everyone if you can help me out.

I am a Mexican Citizen and a J-1 visa holder since Nov, 2003. My J-1 visa will expire on February 24th, 2005.

On New Year's Eve, 2004, I was arrested for "excessive drinking" on the Chicago "jail" for about 10 hours.
They released me and gave me a paper saying that I needed to attend to court on Feb 23rd to a Chicago address. The amount for my bail was $1,000.
I live at an Indiana town that is a 2.5 hours drive from Chicago.I don't live in Chicago and the people at the jail did not seem to care.

My questions are:

1. Should I contact a lawyer before going to the hearing? I don't know what to plead.. guilty or not, etc... I was drunk.. yes... but what is the recommended action? ( I have a black-out of why I was in prison...) / Should I contact an Indiana lawyer? or a Chicago laywer?
2. Is there a way that if I have a good trial, my record can be "erased" or at least "removed" from the various databases? I would like to come back to the States as a tourist in the future and don't know what to respond when filling my tourist visa application when they ask if I had been arrested or convicted for a crime? This is the first time EVER I've had a problem like this.
3. If I get a fair trial... do I still have to pay the $1,000? Or can that amount be changed according to my conduct, etc?

Thanks a lot! and Happy New Year...

 

[NYClex]

Excessive drinking? Under what law have you been charged?

I assume it is a charge for disorderly conduct under 720 ILCS 5/26-1 which is a misdemeanor, but not considered to be a crime of moral turpitude.

If this is your only conviction on the record it usually does not influence your immigration status. But you cannot afford a second conviction for anything, because that might make you inadmissible to the United States.

About the other questions, since I am not an expert in Illinois law I cannot answer them, you might want to consult an attorney who is admitted to the Illinois bar (that should be all attorneys in Chicago, but you might find quite a few in Indiana who would be allowed to practice in Illinois, too, and thus be able to represent you there. But you should ask them first if they are.)