Misdemeanor assault and battery

My 19 year old son has been charged with misdemeanor assault and battery and misdemeanor destruction of property after he confronted a guy who his friend has accused of raping her.

It is his first time offense of any kind. Would hiring an attorney for $3,000 be worth it or should we just get a public defender? We don’t have a ton of money to just throw $3,000 around but it also wouldn’t bankrupt us.