Hello,

Recently myself and two other college students ventured into the construction site for the upcoming university building. We took some pictures of what it looked on the inside, and upon leaving the site, we were spotted. One friend ran and successfully got away, while my friend and I simply stayed and put our hands up. We were arrested and charged with second degree trespassing. (North Carolina - Offense Info)
They confiscated the camera with pictures of us (including the fellow who escaped).
The cops questioned why we were taking photos of the site, which included pipes and generators, as they thought we might be 'domestic terrorists' - we said it was simply because they looked interesting [truth]
None of us have any prior criminal history and are pretty good guys.
We did not cause any damage to the site, nor steal anything - we were simply observers.

I am wondering how serious of an offense this is. Do you think it is likely the charges will be reduced, dropped, or perhaps community service / fine?
For our court date (in three weeks) would you recommend hiring a lawyer or going with an appointed one?

I'd appreciate any helpful advice or information - Thanks :)

Seroius, college prank, surprised they actually charged you after they figured out you were just students. On the other hand the feds could have taken you to some secret prison and held until they figured out how to convict you.

I would get an attorney, most likely they can make some deal so you won't have any record on your report will it is all done

It is pretty lame charge but finding a good lawyer as Fr_Chuck suggested would be wise.
Would be good to know if they had No Trespassing signs. If there are none, get a picture for your lawyer. Also, was it fenced off? Did you have to break in or just walk in?

Thanks for the replies all,

The area was fenced off. There were "no trespassing" signs, but not on the side we entered (Which the officer recognized indicated). We got in through a small gap in the fence.

Keep the advice coming please :)

Can't hurt to have a photo showing there were no, NO TRES signs to go along with the police report. I think they were concerned about vandalism or theft but as Chuck said, a good lawyer may be able to get this incident cleared from your records. You don't want to have to explain what happened every time you have a job interview.
I am not a lawyer but there might be a chance he/she could negotiate a settlement before the court date. You should definitely get a lawyer now. I would talk to several (usually free) and maybe try to get one that is a distance from the univ. as the ones nearby may not want to bitr the hand that feeds them. If it were vandalism or theft, I'd say hang them high. But charging a tuition-paying university student with trespassing on university property (with no visible NT signs) sounds like over reaction. Good luck.