I got a misdemeanor for defending myself against drunk assholes

More details:

I was jumped while returning to my motel after a stroll. I had nothing of value on me so it was just a brawl. One guy ran. I chased my assailant and found out he was also staying at the motel. I called the cops. The guy pointed to his wounds and told a complete lie to make it sound like I started the fight. There were no witnesses willing to speak to the cops. The cops couldn't decide who to believe so we both were cited with misdemeanors.

I would like to press charges on that lowlife fuck, but lawyers are expensive as fuck.

>I cant afford a lawyer

As is usual, the real issue is that you can't afford not to have a lawyer.

If you ignore this, a bench warrant will be issued for your arrest. Depending on how much they want you (likely not much for a misdemeanor), you will either be arrested the next time you go back into the state, or they might call the cops in your current state to pick you up, since you presumably have a fixed address which they will be able to find.

This might end up happening while you are at work, which knowing the States, almost certainly means you'll be fired, and suddenly be out a lot more money.

>>18488422

Common misconception: people don't press charges. That's a term used on TV that has nothing to do with the real world. The DA decides who to charge with offences, and they do it almost entirely based on whether they think they have a good chance of success at trial.

Having a lawyer might enable you to convince them to drop charges on you and not on your attacker. Your lawyer, if they are a good criminal defense attorney, will know the best way to go about this in that jurisdiction.

>>18488466
Thank you for the advice. I called a local lawyer last week, and he said I'd likely get completely off, but he wanted in the ball park of 5 grand... Do you know a way I could get the fees lowered? Maybe a payment plan or a loan of some sort? Would a bank loan me the cash and let me pay it off? I have less than 1000 in savings at the moment

>>18488466
Also, my citation had no court date listed, but it said I must appear in court. What does that mean?

>>18488487

Call more lawyers. Compare prices. Find one that fits for you. Never only call one lawyer unless you've gotten a referral from someone who knows what they are doing. Just like anything else, it's a business. Shop around.

Some lawyers will be willing to do payment plans. Worst case scenario, open a line of credit or a credit card and use that to pay for it and then pay it off.

>>18488494

That's strange. Is there a fine or something on it with a deadline to pay? A file number? What exactly does it say?

You should be able to call the local court in whatever area is on the citation with a file number or similar and get your court date and any other information. Once you have a lawyer they are entitled to what is called 'Disclosure', which means the prosecution has to send them all of the evidence they will be relying on to prove their case so your lawyer has a chance to prepare a defense.

Additionally: What the fuck is wrong with 4chan? I keep getting connection error everytime I try to submit a post.

>>18488508

Thanks again for the advice. I'm going to call around and compare prices.

This happened in a National Park, and the ticket had no fine amount, and no date on it. The ticket is from the United States district court, and has a telephone number for the CVB (central violations bureau). When I called the number to get my court date, I got tossed around an automated system and I couldn't get an answer. The ticket says the court date will be mailed to me within 45 days, but I am due to leave again work in another state by this months end. The automated system also said that if I miss my initial court date, I can just reschedule by writing the CVB and rescheduling. I can get someone to check my mail for me, so I should have no problem there.

I think I should reschedule no matter what to buy myself some time to save up some more cash.

>>18488508
My server has had trouble loading 4chan all day too