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").
Perry is a town in Noble County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 5,230 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Noble County. Located on Interstate 35, it is one of the few cities on Interstate 35 between Wichita and Oklahoma City. The city's economy is centered around The Charles Machine Works, which is the world headquarters and manufacturing facility of Ditch Witch machinery. Perry recently moved from a strong mayor form of government to a Home Rule Charter. The town is in the process of transitioning to a City Manager. Perry was settled in 1893 as part of the Cherokee Outlet, and was at one time referred to as Hell's Half-Acre. Perry is also one of a small number of towns in Oklahoma to still have a Carnegie library as its public library. It is the smallest town in Oklahoma with a daily newspaper. Timothy McVeigh was stopped on April 19, 1995, along Interstate 35 just outside of Perry by Oklahoma Highway Patrol Trooper Charles J. Hanger. Hanger had passed McVeigh's yellow 1977 Mercury Marquis and noticed it had no license plate. He arrested McVeigh for carrying a loaded firearm. Three days later, while still in jail, McVeigh was identified as the subject of the nationwide manhunt. Perry is home to the Perry High School wrestling team, the most successful high school wrestling program in the country. As of 2004, The Perry Maroon wrestling team has won 32 state championships, a national record, boasting more than 200 state champion medals. Danny Hodge, an OU graduate and Perry native, is generally regarded as one of the greatest (and strongest) collegiate wrestlers of all time and was never taken down by an opponent throughout his college career. He won a silver medal in the 1956 Melbourne Olympic games and was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated: the only amateur wrestler ever bestowed that honor. Later he won the U.S. Golden Gloves boxing heavyweight championship. Hodge is the only man to hold both amateur boxing and amateur wrestling titles. He still lives in Perry.