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").
Boomer is a farming community located in Wilkes County, North Carolina. Boomer is listed by the United States Census Bureau as a ZIP Code Tabulation Area. The population was 1,929 at the 2000 Census. The community was named after its first postmaster, Ed "Boomer" Matheson. The community was originally called Warrior Creek, after a stream which flows through the area. Boomer was the birthplace and home of James Larkin Pearson, a poet and newspaper publisher who served as North Carolina's Poet Laureate from 1953-1981.