Jersey Shore

Snooki -- who was not present today in Seaside Heights Municipal Court -- faces misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct, creating a nuisance and annoying people at the beach (for real).

As we previously reported, Snooks plans on fighting the charges tooth and overly-manicured nail.

Snooki's lawyer is demanding that prosecutors turn over all of the evidence they plan to use against the "Jersey Shore" star in her disorderly conduct case ... and that includes everything from witnesses to lab reports to photos and even video footage.

And there should be plenty of that -- in fact, TMZ posted several photos of Snooki partying earlier that day with a beer bong ... though it does appear that she was only pouring soda into the funnel.

A source close to production tells TMZ ... Ronnie went in to the police station this morning, paid the tickets, and is already home.

Compared to other "Shore" police activity, this one was pretty minor.

.

The foulmouthed Snook-alike -- 23-year-old Deena Nicole Cortese -- originally auditioned for the show last year ... right around the time Snooki, The Situation and the rest of the cast interviewed for a spot on the show.

Snooki -- aka Nicole Polizzi -- was in held in custody for several hours ... before she was released on her own recognizance.

As we previously reported, Snooki had been partying on the boardwalk earlier in the day with a beer bong ... and at one point, she fell off of a bicycle.

Angie's boyfriend Paul Imperiale -- who is a police officer in Seaside Heights, NJ -- tells TMZ his bosses won't let him go anywhere near the "Jersey" production anymore ... after he was busted for "sticking up for my girlfriend" while wearing his uniform recently.

TMZ also spoke to Police Chief Boyd, who says Paul was "spoken to" and will be reassigned "to an area where there will be noconflict."

Law enforcement sources tell us the Seaside Heights PD busted Snooki moments ago for disorderly conduct. The details of that conduct are unclear.

We're told Snooki -- real name Nicole Polizzi -- is currently in police custody.

Earlier in the day, Snooki was partying on the beach with a beer bong ... only she was filling it up with Coca-Cola. We're told she was also seen at a local bar taking "body shots."

UPDATE 3:22 PM PT: Snooki has been released from custody.

Nothing's official yet -- but according to sources close to the reality star, the deadline for negotiations is Monday ... so we should have a definite answer by then.

The foul-mouthed female is Deena Nicole Cortese -- the same chick who sucked down a beer bong with Snooki in Seaside Heights this weekend.

Turns out Deena recorded a video blog on her MySpace page back in 2008 -- in which she rants about the way she's been treated by some dudes ... swears revenge ... and then says to the camera, "We're gonna play you out, n**ga."

Sources close to production confirm Deena will be appearing in a number of episodes during the third season of "Jersey" ... but she isn't considered a "permanent" cast member.

Question is ...