In a criminal case, the state, through a prosecutor, initiates the suit, while in a civil case the victim brings the suit. Persons convicted of a crime may be incarcerated, fined, or both. Criminal defense attorneys represent clients who have been accused of committing a crime, and defend their rights at each stage of a misdemeanor or felony case -- from an arrest to an appeal after conviction. Criminal defense attorneys may be hired privately or provided by the government (called "public defenders").
Dry Creek is an unincorporated community in the east-central portion of Beauregard Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies 20 miles southeast of Deridder on the corner of La. Hwy 113 and La. Hwy 394 @ 30°40′10″N 93°2′42″W. It is 104 feet above sea level. The geography of the area is slightly hilly, ranging from 80 to 135 feet above sea level, consisting of mostly sandy soils with many creeks (not all dry) and ponds. Children in the area attend East Beauregard Elementary School and East Beauregard High School, five miles north. Bundick Lake is located approximately five miles north/northwest of "downtown" Dry Creek. Dry Creek is at the beginning of the "piney woods" of central Louisiana. Logging is the major industry of the area. There are many extraordinary vegetable gardens, and the entire area is noted for Sugartown melons as well as a "family atmosphere". Dry Creek Baptist Camp is located at the corner of the two highways across from Foreman's grocery, with a Pentecostal Church on the north side and a Bible Church on the south side of its boundary. There are many churches in the area and all faiths utilize the Camp's facilities. Referred to as the "White House", the Dry Creek School is an imposing neo-Greco building that alters one's concept of the traditional country school. Built in 1912, the wings and columns of the building were added in 1919-1920. The school was the first to support public education through taxes. A victim of school consolidation, it closed in 1962. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places.