Got Rear Ended, Then Driver Went On A Racist Rant - And I Got A Ticket!

Hello all, Location: Ohio, USA I got hit by a female driver in the rear of my car who jumped a stop sign while I was still in the intersection. She then proceeded to yell racial slurs (she was white, I am not). We called the police and my wife and I both gave our statements, including stating that I stopped the car once I’d completed the turn because this lady was honking and yelling. The police then called me 3 days later and said they consulted the prosecutor and were giving me a citation (!!!) for “parking or stopping on the road”. They said they had no evidence that she ran the stop sign but I admitted that I’d braked so it’s my fault. I retained a lawyer through my legal insurance policy who suggested I just pay the fine since it’s a parking ticket. But I learnt that it is actually a traffic ticket and a misdemeanor (although with zero points), and am worried it will go on my record, raise premiums etc. Importantly, I am a (legal) immigrant and coming up soon for my naturalization, and I don’t want even the slightest complication. The lawyer seems like a decent guy but I’m puzzled by his refusal to talk to the prosecutor now - he says he will argue it in court if needed (if I don’t pay the fine), but “will not call the prosecutor for a zero-points” ticket until now. I called the prosecutor today, who seemed like a very nice person - said he found what the lady said reprehensible, but said he had to follow the law and it did not rise above free speech. He said I should file a plea of not guilty and ask for a non-expedited trial, and that since I have a good driving record he will reduce or drop the charges. He said it is a simple thing and I don’t even need a lawyer. I am inclined to do exactly what he said, but then a thought came to mind - what if the prosecutor is luring me in just to screw me over. I know this is likely a paranoid thought and I truly believe that the vast majority of people in our country are decent humans, but I’ve been burnt on this already and am very worried given some of the horror stories we read these days.

So my question is this - what is the worst case outcome if I do contest the ticket? Could it somehow get worse for me? Could the prosecutor dig up something else in my past driving record (generally, I am a law abiding person with a high degree of education and a stable job - I do have one reckless 4 years ago, the only traffic ticket in the last 20 years) and ask that the judge charge me with even worse charges? Could they bring in that other driver as a witness and have her tell more lies (she wrote absolutely blatant lies in her statement at the site of the accident)? If the worst case scenario is that I just pay the fine and the court fees, then it makes sense - if there is even the tiniest chance it could be worse, then I’m unwilling to take the chance, and just pay the &180 fine and accept the premium increases.

Thank you all so much!