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").
Wiergate is a small unincorporated town in Newton County, Texas, United States, in the far eastern part of the state. It lies approximately 70 miles northeast of Beaumont near State Highways 63 and 87. Its population today hovers around 450 (recorded as 461 in the 1990 US Census).