Application for a travel visa(DS-160). Question about arrest/conviction

[Konstantin]

Hello, everyone. My name is Konstantin Sosnin i'm currently live in my native country - Russia. Here is the story:

 

In summer of 2007 i was in USA (San Diego) by Work&Travel exchange student program. 
I was riding on bicycle where it was forbidden and got a ticket from the police officer. I didn't paid the money and didn't appeared in the court. Went back to my native country Russia at the end of the summer'07. Since then i never left Russia. In 2010 i found that i have a warrant of arrest in San Diego. I contacted to a public defender and she helped me to get my case dismissed by Prosecutor. Public defender wrote to me:

"You were not arrested. Your case was dismissed before you were arraigned. You never plead guilty to any charge. You were never found guilty of any charge. You were never convicted of charge."

 

I got a scanned copy of a court paper that my case is dismissed.  Here it is: http://s001.radikal.ru/i195/1307/81/7305dfb614dd.jpg
What should i answer in DS-160 question about arrest/conviction? The question is exactly the following:

"Have you ever been arrested or convicted for any offense or crime, even though subject of a pardon, amnesty, or othersimilar action?"

 

YES or NO? 

 

 

 

 

[omshiv]

YES is the answer.

[pontevecchio]

Trust your Lawyer. You were never arrested. The case was dismissed according to you before trial.  How is it that a Public Defender paid for by State taxes represented you  when you were abroad? Your scanned copy does not indicate anything. Its not a big deal. If the VO mentions it tell him the truth about what happened.