This summary is not the rule. The rule text controls.
Criminal cases in Alabama start in one of two ways. The first way is through an indictment, which happens when a grand jury reviews the evidence and formally charges someone with a crime. The second way is through a complaint, which is a written statement accusing someone of a crime, usually filed by a police officer or another person.
This rule sets the starting point for any criminal case. Without an indictment or a complaint, a criminal case cannot legally begin. This matters because it means the government cannot just arrest someone and hold them without following one of these two formal steps to officially charge them with a crime.
