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").
Eureka is a city located in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States, between St. Louis, Missouri and Pacific, Missouri along Interstate 44. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 7,676. The city is two miles (3 km) west of the former site of Times Beach, the site of dioxin contamination discovered in the 1980s; the area was cleaned up and became Route 66 State Park. Since 1961, Eureka has been known as the home of the amusement park formerly known as Six Flags Over Mid-America and now called Six Flags St. Louis. Local news coverage for the town and some of its neighbors is provided by the Tri County Journal and the Washington Missourian.