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").
Gypsum, referred to by locals as "sinkhole" or "God's Country", is an unincorporated community in eastern Portage Township, Ottawa County, Ohio, United States. Although it is unincorporated, it has a post office, with the ZIP code of 43433.. Children from Gypsum families generally attend the Port Clinton City School District. The neighborhood is considered friendly, home-spun, and mainly conservative. The community is name for the gypsum rock, the mining of which was originally the foundation of the community's business, commerce, and population growth. Because these mines are located throughout the community and township, the area is subject to excessive erosion because of sinkholes — hence the name "sinkhole".