[me] Deferred Dispostion And Custody Questions

Located in Maine, I have a question about deffered dispostion.

I am going through a massively messy divorce with a young child. My partner has the child per consented PFA (no findings).

I was charged with DV assault and criminal mischief. First court date is soon.

I know there is little to no evidence to support the criminal mischief so I'm hoping that gets dropped. On the flip side, there may be a case for the DV. I have no record and have never hurt anybody before my recent partner.

I'm trying to figure out if I qualify for differed disposition and what that looks like. If I get a DV charge I'll never get custody of my child.

Do I have to plead guilty to then move on to talk about deffered disposition? Or can I plead not guilty initially and then move onto either a plea or talking about deferring it? Last I knew my lawyer was going to submit a not guilty plea but I don't want to do that if it will ruin my chances of deferring the case.

Also, the PFA (without findings) was agreed upon regarding the child, for a significantly shorter time frame than usual. How much will this affect my custody battle? My current lawyer has been advising that it can't be held against me regarding custody, and family court can trump this decision, which is one of the reasons why they encouraged me to agree to it without findings. (Yes I already have a lawyer but ive really only just started working with him I don't want to blow him up at 3am on a Sunday. He is covering everything I need legally regarding this situation. PFA hearing, custody and divorce, and the criminal charges. I am very impatient for more knowledge about my options and other outcomes)