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").
Gastonia is a city in North Carolina, United States. It is the county seat and largest city of Gaston County. The population was 66,277 according to the 2000 census (35% of the population of Gaston County). It is part of the Charlotte metropolitan area, officially designated the Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). As the second-largest city (in population) in the MSA after Charlotte, Gastonia has experienced steady growth, with a population change during the 1990s of more than +10%.