So a state trooper pulled me over the other day because my license plates were suspended. Turns out my old insurance company didn’t notify the MVA when I switched providers, so the plates got flagged. The trooper asked for my license — I only have a learner’s permit — and I handed it over, along with my passenger’s license since he has a full one. When the trooper came back, he told me that my permit was suspended and then took it from me. I went to the MVA and paid a $400 fine for the plates, and while I was there, they told me my permit was suspended because I never completed a Driver Improvement Program (DIP) from two years ago. Thing is — I actually did complete it. I called the driving school, and they admitted they forgot to submit the completion to the MVA. They basically just said “sorry,” but now I’ve got a court date, and the letter says there’s a possibility of jail time. Now I’m freaking out. I’ve got about $1,000 to my name. Should I try to hire a lawyer, or go with a public defender? I really don’t want to risk going to jail over something like this. Location: Frederick,Maryland