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").
Sophia is a small unincorporated area in central Randolph County in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is located along U.S. Highway 311, just northwest of the route's intersection of with I-73/I-74/US 220 and southeast of Archdale, North Carolina. It is the location of WGHP-TV's (Fox 8) television transmitter tower. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Sophia citizens protested the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) on its plan to route I-74 through the center of town, essentially removing the community from existence. After a hearing with locals, the NCDOT decided to shift the planned corridor about 1 mile to the north.