Complex Criminal Nc Case Involving Statute Of Limitations

Location: Davie County, NC (2006). First, let me apologize for the lack of brevity here. There are many important details. Just turn your screen to landscape and it wont seem so bad. In 2006, a traffic stop led to my being jailed in Davie County, North Carolina for 7 months. For nothing. I was a passenger in a vehicle which was pulled over by a deputy and I had taken several benzos which can result in me confessing anything I’ve ever done wrong to anyone within earshot. One of those things was doing a line of cocaine on the dashboard. Deputy gets a positive field test. Now the car is being essentially dismantled and deputy gets to my overnight bag and finds a still sealed bottle of MiraLAX. MiraLAX is a white powder so he field tests it as well. Positive for cocaine. I am charged with 7 felonies including trafficking 500 grams of cocaine and booked in Davie county with a $140,000 cash bond. I had never been in trouble before and it was a terrifying experience. I remained in jail for 7 months until the FBI ran an official test on the substance which was proven to be, guess what? MiraLAX. One morning I am hauled to court and and my co-defendants attorney, mine was unavailable at the moment, tells me that if I plead guilty to the charge of paraphernalia (The paraphernalia being the original manufacturers bottle which contained the MiraLAX they themselves had proven was not an illicit substance) they will consider my 7 month stint as being time served and that I can go home that day. I didn’t hesitate. I just wanted to go home which was 2 states away. The judge apologizes on behalf of the state of North Carolina and 2 hours later a deputy drops me off at a truck stop on the interstate. At the time this happened I was 22 years old. I didn’t understand the ramifications of pleading guilty and It didn’t cross my mind that they were doing this to cover themselves for a giant fuck up that stole 7 months of my life. Two decades later I understand a bit more. I know that this simple misdemeanor has cost me job opportunities and been a giant pain in my ass and so far God has not promised me an extra 7 months of life. Im pretty pissed off about the whole thing. And I cannot for the life of me understand how they can get away with having me plead guilty to a crime that by their own admission never occurred. That is a gross injustice. Mostly, however, I dont want anyone else to have to go through this and unless Davie county faces consequences for their actions, the actual wrongdoing, it’s bound to happen again. Oh and I have to pay $200 to have it expunged. Is there anything I can do? Has it been too long?