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").
Lexington is a city in Dawson County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 10,011 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Dawson County. Lexington is located in southern Nebraska, on the Platte River, southeast of North Platte. It sits along the route of U.S. Route 30 and the Union Pacific Railroad. In the 1860s it was the location of a stop along the Pony Express. Lexington is the principal city of the Lexington, Nebraska Micropolitan Statistical Area, which consists of Dawson and Gosper counties. The town is noted for its relatively high proportion of Hispanic-Americans for central Nebraska (over 50% of the town population), reflected in the Spanish language-businesses in downtown and along U.S. 30. The Heartland Museum of Military Vehicles is located in Lexington adjacent to I-80.