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").
La Conner is a town in Skagit County, Washington, United States. The population was 761 at the 2000 census. It is included in the Mount Vernon-Anacortes, Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area. In April, it hosts the majority of the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival events. The center of town—roughly bounded by 2nd, Morris and Commercial Sts. , and Swinomish Channel—is a historic district, listed on the National Register of Historic Places.