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").
Fort Ashby is an census-designated place (CDP) in Mineral County, West Virginia along Patterson Creek. It is part of the 'Cumberland, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area'. The population was 1,354 at the 2000 census. The community was originally chartered as Frankfort and then known as Alaska before it took the name of its well-known historic landmark.