I'd suggest going to the courtdate. Be polite and respectful, and most likely the judge will at least knock down the citation amount. They do it for other things all the time--this shouldn't be any different. I also thing there may be a good chance that the judge may just get rid of the citation altogether once you explain the circumstances.
Did the officer seem smug to you? He could have a few issues: maybe he's new and overly gung-ho, he might have been having a bad day, or he may just be a jerk. None of these are good excuses and he definitely took a cheap shot.
Hope you win this one!!
