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").
Piedmont is a city in Meade County, South Dakota, United States. Piedmont lies in the Racetrack or Red Valley which circles most of the Black Hills. Piedmont takes its name from the French words pied (foot) and mont (mountain) and the fact that the town lies at a point where the Black Hills rise particularly abruptly from the Red Valley. Although newly incorporated (since July 2008), Piedmont has been inhabited since the coming of the railroad in the 1800s. Piedmont is mostly a bedroom community to nearby Rapid City, but also has construction and forest products businesses nearby. The Piedmont area has experienced three large forest fires since 2003,the Piedmont, Ricco, and Eastridge Fires. In August, 2007 Piedmont experienced a flood rated as a 100-year event in which 6" of rain fell in less than an hour, with runoff exacerbated by the steep terrain burned in the Ricco Fire. The flooding was accompanied by up to baseball-sized hail. Piedmont has been assigned the ZIP Code of 57769.