Thank you for all the info. The consensus seems to be “pay the lawyer tax” if my goal is a reduced charge. My father — a retired cop — is in the camp of “show up on the court date, admit wrongdoing, and apologize for wasting the court’s time,” but I can’t tell if it’s because he think they’ll be lenient with me or if it’s just because he’s pissed off at me (he’s always been somewhat against my Porsche habit).
To answer a question from above, I’m 37, a teacher, and citizen in good standing.
And here’s a pic of the instigator, as requested.
