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").
Weldon Spring is a city in St. Charles County, Missouri, United States. The population was 5,270 at the 2000 census. The city is named for its first settler, North Carolina frontiersman John Weldon, who in 1790 built a log home overlooking the spring which bears his name.